Ritchie Torres

Ritchie Torres was born on March 12, 1988, in the Bronx. His father is Puerto Rican, while his mother is a native New Yorker who was born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents. Torres was raised by his mother in Throggs Neck Houses, a public housing project in the Throggs Neck neighborhood of the East Bronx, where he was frequently hospitalized for asthma as a result of the mold in their apartment. Of growing up economically disadvantaged in "slum conditions", Torres has said, "I was raised by a single mother who had to raise three children on minimum wage, and I lived in conditions of mold and vermin, lead and leaks." In junior high, Torres realized he was gay but did not come out, fearing homophobic violence. He came out while a sophomore, during a schoolwide forum on marriage equality. == New York City councilmember ==

At 25 years old, Torres ran to succeed Joel Rivera as the councilmember for the 15th district of the New York City Council. The district includes Allerton, Belmont, Bronx Park, Claremont Village, Crotona Park, Fordham, Mount Eden, Mount Hope, Norwood, Parkchester, Tremont, Van Nest, West Farms, and Williamsbridge in the Bronx. Torres also served as a deputy leader of the city council. Public housing Upon his election, Torres requested the chairmanship of the council's committee on public housing, tasked with overseeing the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA); as of July 2019, it is the "nation's largest public housing system", which "provides housing to more than 400,000 low-income residents" in "176,000 apartments across 325 complexes". He made "the living conditions of the city's most underserved residents a signature priority". In this role, he helped secure $3 million for Concourse Village, Inc., a nearly 1,900-unit housing cooperative in the South Bronx. The cooperative is subsidized by the Mitchell-Lama Housing Program, offering "income-restricted rentals and below-market value buy-in for co-ops". Since the original law was passed in 2017, providing legal help throughout the entire eviction case, the council has found that 84% of tenants were able to stay in their homes. Combating gig worker tip theft In April 2019, Torres worked on legislation aimed to compel companies that employ gig workers to be transparent about whether the workers' tips are diverted to pay a base salary. Mobile app delivery companies, like DoorDash—which has freelance workers pickup and deliver meals from restaurants—Amazon's Prime Now, and Instacart, usually allow customers to add a gratuity, but the companies were counting the tips toward regular payment. Torres characterized the practice as exploiting "an underclass of independent contractors", and hopes the city council can ban the practice altogether. Torres said he had documentation that as early as 2010 the Bloomberg administration was "aware that medallion prices could crumple", Medallion owners sued the city and Uber in November 2015. By 2017, 60,000 ride-share vehicles outnumbered medallion vehicles by almost 4 to 1, and many medallion owners faced the prospect of bankruptcy or severe debt because of the low medallion prices, which few were willing to pay. Torres said the "medallion market collapse is a cautionary tale" and "one of the greatest government scandals in the history of New York City". Cashless businesses In July 2019, Torres proposed legislation to address the movement in New York toward cashless business practices at stores and restaurants. He did so to preserve access for those who rely on cash for their purchases. In New York City, 12% did not have bank accounts in 2013, including "domestic violence survivors who don't wish to be traced and undocumented immigrants, as some of those who may face significant challenges when opening bank accounts." They instead often use payday loans and check-cashing facilities. The TPT was started in 1996 under Giuliani's administration to let the Department of Housing and Preservation (HPD) transfer "derelict, tax-delinquent buildings to nonprofits that could rehabilitate and manage them", ostensibly for working-class people, freeing the city from ownership, or responsibility for tenants. HPD followed a rule selecting "every other building in the same tax block with a lien—even for a few hundred dollars"—if even one was picked for TPT. The report, however, holds that characterization is in tension with its findings, which implicate malfeasance by both NYC's HPD and the Department of Finance (DOF), detailing how the agencies were "targeting and taking of numerous black and brown owned properties, and thus stripping these communities of millions of dollars of generational wealth." The TPT process strips the minority owner of the property and its value, and mitigates the sweat equity and resources invested—all with no compensation. He said shooting incidents in New York City were up from 413 in the first half of 2018 to 551 in the same period of 2019. == U.S. House of Representatives ==

Elections 2020 Torres has stated that he is "intent on advancing politically", and has been floated as a future candidate for mayor of New York City. His "goal is to be a national champion for the urban poor". In his announcement, Torres shared his history of depression. The 15th congressional district is the nation's poorest in terms of median income. Torres's main opponent as he started campaigning in the Democratic primary was Rubén Díaz Sr., Media outlets contextualized the contest between the two, noting their age difference, contrasting levels of experience, and Torres's open homosexuality versus Díaz's track record of anti-LGBT rhetoric. LGBTQ Nation said his anti-LGBT rhetoric started in the early 1990s, right after his start in city politics, when he claimed the city's hosting the 1994 Gay Games "would spread AIDS and corrupt children". In February 2019, Díaz said that the City Council was "controlled by homosexuals"; in response, the council dissolved a subcommittee he chaired. As the seat for which he was running is one of the safest Democratic seats in the country, he was expected to win the general election, after which he would become one of the first openly gay black Congressmen in U.S. history, along with Mondaire Jones in the 17th district. On August 4, local election officials declared Torres the winner of the primary. This all but assured him of being the next congressman from this heavily Democratic, Latino-majority district. The 15th and its predecessors have been in Democratic hands for all but 11 months since 1927, the lone break in this tradition being American Labor Party member Leo Isacson from February 1948 to January 1949. It has been held by Latino congressmen since 1971. 2024 For the 2024 elections, Torres ran for reelection and successfully defeated Conservative Party candidate Gonzalo Duran, who was endorsed by the Republican Party. Duran, a U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant veteran of the Iraq War, serves as the CEO of a Devil Dog USA a nonprofit organization, the vice chairman of the Bronx Conservative Party and District Leader of the 79th Assembly District. 2026 In November 2025, former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee Michael Blake announced that he would challenge Torres in the 2026 Democratic primary for New York's 15th congressional district. Blake is challenging Torres due to Torres' support of Israel. Tenure Torres took office on January 3, 2021. Upon his swearing-in, he became the first openly gay Afro-Latin American member of Congress. On August 6, 2021, Torres introduced H.R. 4980, which would "ensure that any individual traveling on a flight that departs from or arrives to an airport inside the United States or a territory of the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19". Torres voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis. Torres was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House. He said his vote was motivated by the new SNAP requirements included in the deal, which raised the work requirements from able-bodied adults under age 50 who do not live with any dependent children to adults under age 54, and the diversion of $20 billion in funding for the Internal Revenue Service. Committee assignments ;Current • Committee on Financial Services • Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence • Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance • Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance and International Financial Institutions ;Former • Committee on Homeland Security • Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party Caucuses • Congressional Progressive Caucus (2021–2024) • Congressional Equality Caucus''' • Congressional Hispanic Caucus • Congressional Blockchain Caucus • Congressional Ukraine Caucus == Political positions ==

In September 2025, Torres described feeling left behind by the Democratic Party. He has blamed what he calls the "far-left flank" of his party for causing Donald Trump's reelection Since being elected, Torres has politically shifted to the center. Cryptocurrency and betting Torres is viewed as an ally of the cryptocurrency industry. He is a member of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus and has been a prominent critic of former SEC chair Gary Gensler's "regulation by enforcement" strategy towards cryptocurrencies. Torres, along with Sean McElwee, Drey Samuelson, Dylan Matthews, Joel Wertheimer, and Ethan Winter, urged regulators to let Americans bet on U.S. elections on platforms like Kalshi on the basis that it would increase public trust in democracy. They warned the CFTC that prohibiting such activity would worsen "the public's understanding of our democratic process" and promote "unsafe, black market exchanges". Critics argued that such a move could lead to a "gambling den" and election integrity concerns. Environment Torres has voiced support for a Green New Deal and was endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters in 2020. He suggested that public housing should be "a model for green and energy efficient buildings to help combat climate change while addressing its capital needs". Torres has called the Cross Bronx Expressway "a structure of environmental racism" and supports a plan to cover the highway with green space. Elon Musk Speaking about Elon Musk's falling out with Donald Trump, Torres said that "I'm a believer in redemption, and he is telling the truth about the" One Big Beautiful Bill Act after Musk feuded with Trump over the legislation. He also added that Musk has "done an enormous amount of damage" and "there are Democrats who see his decimation of the federal workforce and the federal government as an unforgivable sin." Foreign policy In 2023, Torres was among 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days. In July 2023, Torres was among 49 Democrats to break with President Biden and vote in favor of a ban on the delivery cluster munitions to Ukraine. Torres voted in favor of three military aid package supplementals for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, respectively, in April 2024, along with most Democrats. In a statement after the vote, he said, "The US has a singular obligation to help freedom fighters fight for their freedom, and nowhere more so than in Ukraine, whose self-defense against Putin's aggression must prevail." In June 2025, Torres co-signed a letter led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer asking Trump to comply with the TikTok divest-or-ban law and not grant further extensions to it. Kosovo Since his election to the US Congress in 2019, Torres has served as a co-chair of the Congressional Albanian Issues Caucus. He has been one of the most outspoken supporters of strengthening bilateral relations between the United States and Kosovo. He has met with senior Albanian and Kosovar political representatives, including Kosovo's President, Vjosa Osmani. He called for US military assistance to Kosovo, describing it as "an unwavering ally of the US" and "America's greatest ally in the Balkans", while stating that the country represents the exact opposite of Serbia, which has served, according to Torres, as "Russia's satellite, where Vladimir Putin has been regarded the most highly respected person, while the autocratic government of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić not only continues to defy American and European sanctions on Russia but also imports a huge amount of Russian-made weapons." Israel in 2024 at a Pride and Solidarity event featuring Daniel-Ryan Spaulding, Judy Gold, and H.E. Michael Herzog Torres has called himself "the embodiment of a pro-Israel progressive" and has identified as a Zionist. The progressive group Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) wrote that he is "aggressively pro-Israel". After winning election in 2020, he announced that he would not join The Squad, a group of left-wing Democratic representatives, because members did not vote for a resolution to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. He has contrasted BDS's stagnancy with what he called the "path to peace" presented by the Abraham Accords. He supported a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine in 2022. Torres has been a longtime outspoken supporter of Israel, with Politico describing him as Israel's "loudest" supporter. Torres has accused Senator John Fetterman's critics of attacking him for his "unapologetic pro-Israel politics" since media revelations about Fetterman's health. According to The Nation, Torres has received support from Ronn Torossian, a public relations executive who has been involved in Israeli right-wing politics. In late 2023, Torossian helped Torres create Chutz PAC, a political action committee. After the October 7 attacks in 2023, Torossian started a WhatsApp group called "Jews for Ritchie Torres", which Torossian and Michael Sinensky moderated. Torossian and Sinensky said they raised over $150,000 for Torres. The Nation reported that in 2023 and 2024, Torossian introduced Torres to senior Israeli government officials and American donors. After Zeteo reported on Torossian and Sinensky's support for Torres, Torres returned their donations. According to Track AIPAC, Torres has received $1.6 million from Israel lobby groups. Gaza war In November 2023, Torres rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and called claims that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip a "blood libel". On November 7, 2023, Torres was one of 22 House Democrats who voted successfully to censure Rashida Tlaib, passing a resolution that accused her of "...promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack", as well as criticized, in particular, her use of the slogan "from the river to the sea". In explaining why he voted for the censure, Torres wrote on Twitter, "Congress has a right to take a principled stand against hate speech calling for the destruction of the world's only Jewish nation-state." In February 2024, he left the Congressional Progressive Caucus due to disagreements over the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. In 2024, Torres criticized and accused Fursan al-Aqsas creator of "normalizing the most monstrous forms of antisemitic violence and terror—like beheadings, suicide bombings, and the war crimes of October 7th". Torres appeared in the films Blind Spot and October 8, discussing antisemitism on American campuses after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel and subsequent war. He has been criticized for his pro-Israel advocacy by some progressive Jews including Abby Stein, Adam Friedland, and members of Jewish Voice for Peace. Torres has also been criticized by supporters of Palestine for his strong support of Israel. When pressed by Friedland, on The Adam Friedland Show, to discuss the history that precipitated the Gaza war, Torres responded, "It just kind of sounds like you're justifying antisemitism which is making me feel uncomfortable." Torres and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) introduced the COLUMBIA Act, a bill that would create "antisemitism monitors" at select colleges in the wake of the Gaza war. Immigration In 2021, Torres was an original cosponsor of the New Way Forward Act, which would overhaul federal immigration enforcement by eliminating mandatory detention, decriminalize unauthorized entry and reentry, narrow criminal grounds for deportation, and expand judicial discretion in removal proceedings. In January 2025, Torres was one of 48 Democrats to vote for the Laken Riley Act, which requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain undocumented immigrants accused of committing nonviolent theft-based crimes. Among those 48, he was one of seven who had previously voted against the bill in March 2024. Torres has supported ending the NYC's "right to shelter" law for people who aren't long-term residents of New York City. Torres said "When I first entered politics, I was on the left on the question of migration" and "even though law enforcement should prioritize the most violent criminals for deportation, I will no longer put myself in the position of defending anyone who commits any crime." Torres later became one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for a Senate-amended version of the bill. Police Torres supported "defunding the police" at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd. He said that there "needs to be a radical redistribution of resources from policing into social services and community based alternatives to overcriminalization", and touted his work as a then-City Council member to successfully cut the NYPD's budget. However, in February 2022, Torres said that "The defund police movement is dead in New York City and good riddance." In November 2024, during an interview on CNN with Jim Acosta, he said, "there was never a mass constituency for a movement like 'Defund the Police', so we should be taking positions that are in line with the majority of Americans", and "I want to be crystal clear, the majority of Democrats never endorsed a movement like 'Defund the Police.'" He has blamed "Defund the Police" movement for Democrats' loss of the White House. == Electoral history ==