Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres is running neck and neck with Gov. Kathy Hochul among New York City Democrats in a hypothetical party primary for the statehouse next year, a new poll shows.
The survey, conducted by the Honan Strategy Group for the Jewish Voters Action Network, found that 38% of likely city Democratic voters would back Hochul if the election were held today, compared to 37% for Torres, with 25% of the respondents undecided.
The city, which is overwhelmingly Democratic, greatly influences the state’s Dem gubernatorial primary.
The poll also showed Hochul led among likely Jewish city Democrats — 40% to 31% for Torrres — with 29% undecided.
Both Hochul and Torres are staunch backers of Israel and have pushed back against Israel-bashing and antisemitism.
Hochul led by a larger margin in the city against her estranged Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado — 42% to 28%, with 30% undecided.
Among Jewish city Dems, Hochul led Delgado 40% to 23%, with 37% undecided.
Maury Litwack, founder of the Jewish Voters Action Network, said he oversampled Jewish voters in the polling as part an ongoing effort to better understand the views of the community.
The mix included 724 likely Democratic voters plus 412 likely Jewish Democratic voters, based on prior voting history and motivation to vote after the election of Republican Trump last year.
But the findings clashed with a recent Siena College poll, which found Hochul further ahead of her potential Democratic rivals.
That survey — which queried registered rather than likely voters — showed Hochul with 44% support among Democrats in New York City compared to 13% for Torres and 9% for Delgado.
Statewide, Hochul captured 46% of the vote of those polled to 12% for Delgado and 10% for Torres. A majority of upstate Democrats, 54%, backed the sitting governor, who is from Buffalo.
Still, a majority of all voters said they prefer someone else as governor, and her favorability rating among respondents was under 50%.
State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs, a Hochul ally, scoffed at the latest findings showing Torres in a dead heat with the governor.
“It sounds like a flawed poll. I wouldn’t pay attention to it whatsoever,” Jacobs said.
“That survey doesn’t align with any other I’ve seen — including the Siena College poll,” added the party chairman.
Meanwhile Republican Congress members Elise Stefanik and MikeLawler are weighing a run for governor, as is Nassau County, LI, Executive Bruce Blakeman.
The phone text poll of 1,136 Democrats, conducted from May 15-18, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.89 percentage points.
