Bronx councillor Richie Torres is supporting Andrew Cuomo for the mayor of New York City, despite the former governor not officially taking part in the race.
“The two most important things you need are ability and courage,” Torres told the Post. “Andrew Cuomo has the ability to govern cities, and he has the courage to stand up to extremist politics from both the far left and far right.
“You don't need Mr. Nice Guy. You need a tough guy.”
Cuomo has not officially been in the race, but is expected soon.
“He has my support as soon as he enters the race,” the lawmaker said.
Cuomo has a well of support in his mostly black and Latino working class districts, and predicted that former governor critics would be surprised at the level of support he would get.
Torres said he had no interest in “relighting” his resignation from Cuomo's office in 2021, which was levelled against him by many women, including female staff. . Cuomo, on his part, denied the allegation.
“We expect the 2025 election comeback story to be a revival of Andrew Cuomo,” he said. “America loves comebacks. New York loves comebacks.”
Instead, Torres focused on Cuomo's tangible achievements, including the facelift at LaGuardia Airport, the construction of the Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, and an overhaul of the Habitz Convention Center.
He also said Cuomo pushed the law in his first year as governor in 2011 to legalize gay marriages in the state.
“[Cuomo] It was a success when others failed,” Torres said.
Torres is seeking Mayor Eric Adams, who is seeking reelection, a “ineffective mayor” who has “disappointed” and “suspected appointments.” He said Adams has not been re-electioned even if he put his legal suffering aside.
“Cities are in danger,” he said.
Torres did not mention any other Democratic mayoral candidates, except for Queens Councilman Zoran Mamdani. Torres said that Mamdani's relationship with the democratic socialists attacking American Jews was unfit to become mayor.
He said DA members celebrated the “mass murder of Jews” at a rally shortly after the invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023.
“We stand at an unprecedented level of extremism in New York history,” Torres said.
Torres, a leading Democrat in the New York Congressional Democrat, will certainly echo in New York's political circles.
Torres himself is considering facing Gov. Kathy Hochul in next year's Democratic primary. He consistently guides Hochur, claiming she is a weak and ineffective governor.
He refused to reveal whether he and Cuomo discussed his own potential for the state capitol.
Without taking part in the race, Cuomo lined up a series of support for what appeared to be a choreographic development of the campaign.
Apart from Torres, he is supported by former state director H. Carl McCall, Staten Island Democrats and the Village Reform Democrats of Greenwich Village.
