NY Dem Rep. Ritchie Torres dubs Gov. Kathy Hochul 'the new Joe Biden,' warns of potential 2026 election loss

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., referred to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul as "the new Joe Biden," warning that Democrats could lose the 2026 gubernatorial election just like they lost the 2024 presidential contest.

"Kathy Hochul is the new Joe Biden. She may be in denial about the depth of her vulnerabilities as a Democratic nominee. A Democratic incumbent who is less popular in New York than Donald Trump is in grave danger of losing to a Republican in 2026 – an outcome not seen in 30 years," the congressman said in a post on X.

"Waiting until it’s too late gave us a Republican President in 2024 and could give us a Republican Governor in 2026. Let's avoid repeating history and avoid sleepwalking toward impending disaster and defeat," he suggested.

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Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Ritchie Torres (Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to request comment from the offices of Hochul and Torres, but neither immediately responded.

Torres told Spectrum News NY 1 that he is considering a gubernatorial bid, and noted that he plans to do a "listening tour" beginning in December and January.

The congressman, who won re-election to the House of Representatives earlier this month, said in "mid-2025" he will make his "final decision." 

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Rep. Ritchie Torres speaks during a House Financial Services Committee hearing investigating the collapse of FTX in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 13, 2022. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The lawmaker has accused the "far left" of turning people off from the Democratic Party.

"Donald Trump has no greater friend than the far left, which has managed to alienate historic numbers of Latinos, Blacks, Asians, and Jews from the Democratic Party with absurdities like ‘Defund the Police’ or ‘From the River to the Sea’ or ‘Latinx,’" the congressman opined in a post on X earlier this month.

Rep. Ritchie Torres speaks during the Messari Mainnet summit in New York, on Sept. 22, 2023. ( Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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"There is more to lose than there is to gain politically from pandering to a far left that is more representative of Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok than it is of the real world. The working class is not buying the ivory-towered nonsense that the far left is selling," he added.