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U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres speaking at a press conference, New York, NY
"That's news!" said one of the Morning Joe panelists after the New York congressman revealed his plans.
U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, one of Congress’s most prominent LGBTQ+ voices and a fierce advocate for the working-class communities of New York’s South Bronx, announced Wednesday he’s unlikely to launch a primary challenge to fellow Democrat, Gov. Kathy Hochul, in the next race for New York governor.
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“I’m unlikely to run for governor,” Torres, 37, said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “I feel like the assault that we’ve seen on the social safety net in the Bronx is so unprecedented. It’s so overwhelming that I’m going to keep my focus on Washington, D.C.”
Politico politics bureau chief Jonathan Martin responded, “That’s news!"
Related: New York’s Ritchie Torres donates to Andry Hernández Romero fund demanding freedom for gay asylum-seeker
Torres’s decision comes after speculation fueled by a May poll from the Honan Strategy Group, which found him nearly tied with Hochul among likely Democratic voters in New York City. But a separate Siena College poll showed Hochul with a much broader lead.
Torres said he wants to stay focused on battling what he calls the “catastrophe” of President Donald Trump’s so-called “big beautiful bill,” passed this week by the Senate and now moving through the House of Representatives again. The legislation, framed by Republicans as tax relief, threatens to gut Medicaid and other safety-net programs vital to marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ people, who disproportionately rely on public health care systems.
“The so-called big beautiful bill represents a betrayal of the working people of America and nowhere more so than in the Bronx,” Torres said. “It’s going to destabilize every health care provider, every hospital.”
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would add $3.3 trillion to the national deficit over a decade, while slashing Medicaid by more than $1 trillion.
Related: Democrats urge gay Treasury Secretary Bessent not to scrap protections for LGBTQ+ federal workers
Torres’s announcement comes as New York’s political landscape has shifted after Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the city’s Democratic mayoral primary in June, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani campaigned on affordability and LGBTQ+ protections, vowing to expand gender-affirming care and establish an Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.
Torres said that while differing with Mamdani on policy, he praised his grassroots momentum. “When it comes to how he ran his campaign, he’s genuinely a singular figure,” he said.
Though he’s staying in Washington, Torres affirmed his commitment to working with Mamdani if he wins his election. “The mayor needs the New York City congressional delegation, and the delegation needs the mayor. It’s a mutually necessary relationship,” he said.
