Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., has endorsed Andrew Cuomo to run for mayor of New York City in the latest blow to incumbent Democrat first-termer, Mayor Eric Adams.
“The two most important things we need are competence and courage,” Torres, who represents the Bronx, told the New York Post.
“Andrew Cuomo has the competence to govern the city. He has the courage to stand up to extremist politics – both from the far left and far right,” Torres said, adding: “We don’t need a Mr. Nice Guy. We need a Mr. Tough Guy.”
Cuomo has not formally declared his candidacy for mayor but is rumored to announce soon.
“He has my endorsement as soon as he enters the race,” Torres told the Post.
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The former governor resigned in 2021 amid scandals connected to COVID-19 nursing home deaths and sexual harassment claims. Cuomo has always denied the allegations against him.
“I predict the comeback story of the 2025 election will be the resurrection of Andrew Cuomo,” Torres told the Post. “America loves a comeback, New York loves a comeback.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Torres’ office for comment Monday and was referred to the congressman’s appearance on CNBC.
“Andrew Cuomo is a common sense Democrat,” Torres told CNBC Monday. “For me the two most important virtues in politics are competence and courage. And Andrew Cuomo has the competence to run New York City in a moment of crisis, and he has the courage to stand up to the extremes of American politics whether it’s the far right or the far left. There’s a mayoral candidate who openly identifies with the Democratic Socialists of America, which celebrated the mass murder of Jews on Oct. 7, and so when it comes to confronting political extremism in New York, when it comes to confronting the crisis of crime, we need not a nice guy, but a tough guy like Andrew Cuomo.”
Asked whether it was an endorsement of Cuomo or an indictment of Adams, Torres said it was both, arguing that New York City is “in crisis” after four deputy mayors resigned and “the city is less safe than it should be.”
“What we now need more than ever is the kind of stable and strong and steady leadership that Governor Cuomo can provide, and the effectiveness of Andrew Cuomo as an executive need not be taken on faith. It is a fact,” Torres said. “We as New Yorkers every day live and feel the legacy of Andrew Cuomo as a great builder of New York City.
Last week, Cuomo disseminated a letter from former state comptroller Carl McCall, a prominent Democrat and Black elder statesman, backing him for mayor.
McCall endorsed Adams, who is New York City’s second Black mayor, in his 2021 campaign for the office.
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Adams already faces multiple challengers in June’s Democratic primary, but Cuomo is polling as the front-runner.
A federal judge on Friday canceled a corruption trial for Adams and appointed counsel to advise the court about President Donald Trump’s Justice Department’s controversial request to drop charges against the mayor filed under the Biden administration. Adams has denied allegations of a quid pro quo agreement with the Trump administration, as the Democratic mayor cooperates with federal law enforcement on the president’s criminal illegal immigration crackdown.
“I want a mayor who can governor independently of the far right and Donald Trump represents the far right,” Torres told CNBC. “What I found striking is Donald Trump made the decision not to pardon Eric Adams or to permanently drop the charges, but only to do so temporarily, and so the fear of a reindictment keeps Mayor Adams permanently under the thumb of Donald Trump.”
Judge Dale E. Ho’s written order Friday means he will not decide before mid-March whether to grant the dismissal of the case against the embattled mayor of the nation’s largest city.
Ho said he appointed Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general under former President George W. Bush, to present arguments on the government’s request to drop the case.
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