Representative Ritchie Torres (D., N.Y.) said on Friday that Governor Kathy Hochul is the “new Biden,” referring to her record-low popularity in New York and suggesting she may lose her 2026 reelection bid.

Torres likened Hochul to the sitting president, as the to-be third-term congressman is considering a run for governor himself.

“I fear that Hochul may be the new Biden,” Torres told Politico. “She may be in denial about the depth of her vulnerabilities in 2026. In the case of Biden, instead of speaking out early, we waited until it was too late. Let’s avoid repeating history and let’s avoid sleepwalking toward disaster and defeat.”

The House Democrat is concerned Hochul may lose to a Republican challenger if she seeks a second term in two years.

Representative Mike Lawler (R., N.Y.) is a potential contender, while former Representative Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.) will unlikely challenge Hochul again. Zeldin, who lost his gubernatorial bid in 2022, was recently chosen to lead the Environmental Protection Agency in the second Trump administration.

“The case could be made that we need a Democrat who can win a general election, not an unpopular Democratic incumbent who is in grave danger of losing to a Republican for the first time in 30 years,” Torres said.

George Pataki, the last Republican governor of New York, secured a third term in 2002. Democrats have since maintained control of the state’s executive branch.

Torres is planning to tour New York while he weighs whether he’ll run for the state’s chief executive. No details are available about the statewide tour, but the Bronx representative is aiming to get his name out there to Democratic voters.

“I will confess that I’m hardly an expert on every county in New York. But I look forward to traveling throughout the state,” he said in an interview with Politico Playbook. “I hope to embark on a listening tour and find out about the needs of New York state.”

Meanwhile, Hochul is viewed negatively by her constituents over three years after she took over from Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in August 2021 due to allegations of sexual harassment.

The Democratic governor’s favorability rating dropped to 34 percent among New Yorkers, according to a Siena College poll published in September. Notably, president-elect Donald Trump was viewed favorably by 39 percent of residents. Torres alluded to this five-point difference on social media.

“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,” he wrote in part.

Hochul’s job approval rating was also low, coming in at 39 percent — seven points lower than it was in August. The drop may have been influenced by the arrest and indictment of Linda Sun, a former Hochul aide who was accused of acting on behalf of the Chinese government in the U.S.

Hochul brushed off the record-low numbers at the time, saying she was prioritized on getting House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) to be the next speaker. That was before Republicans won the House majority in addition to the Senate and White House.