Councilman Ritchie Torres, who’s dropped hints he’ll be pursuing a run for Congress for the last few months, finally made it official, launching his campaign in the form of a video he released. It’s narrated in a sobering tone by Torres, who explains how he overcame the odds and plans to continue to make changes that will support low-income and marginalized residents.  

“I’m running for Congress because the Bronx needs a fighter in Washington D.C. The primary presents a stark choice between a progressive new guard and a reactionary old guard. Between an LGBT fundraiser and a vicious homophobe. Between a new generation of leadership and more of the same,” Torres said at the end of his announcement video, which appeared to be a nod to a similar campaign video last year from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow progressive Democrat. Campaign filings show Torres’ campaign spent $20,000 on the video. 

In the video, Torres explains how he grew up in the NYCHA Throggs Neck public housing development, which had issues with mold, lead, vermin, and leaks. Across the street from his childhood home, the city spent over $100 million on a golf course for President Donald Trump. With tears in his eyes, Torres told the camera, “and I knew at that moment, I had to fight for people like me.” 

Torres is running for the 15th Congressional District, long occupied by Congressman Jose Serrano who opted not to seek re-election after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The primary election will be held in June of 2020, and the winner of the primary is expected to win the general election given the overwhelming number of Democrats that live in the 15th Congressional District, dubbed the poorest in the country.

Torres is the first openly gay elected official from the Bronx and looks to be the first openly gay elected official representing the congressional seat. If there were a foil in the mix it would be Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr., a social conservative Democrat who is also running for the seat. Though he has a following within the district, Diaz has earned derision from Council colleagues for his homophobic remarks, including a comment saying the Council is controlled by the gay community.

Diaz’s following could be muffled by Torres’ campaign war chest, which reportedly stands at $500,000. Campaign filings are due this week.

For Torres, the 15th Congressional District and its issues are vast and in need of fixing. He hopes to expand opportunities for public housing residents, integrate public schools, improve access to mental health programs, increase youth civic engagement, and ensure government accountability. His campaign will focus on efforts that will directly affect lives in the Bronx, such as job-training programs, affordable housing, access to quality healthcare, improving public education, reducing asthma rates, access to healthy foods, and more. 

His background with public housing has inspired Torres to improve the conditions of NYCHA complexes. Torres once served a chair of the Housing Committee, and secured $3 billion in FEMA funding to repair NYCHA properties after Hurricane Sandy. 

Holding the position of Chair of the Committee on Oversight & Investigations, Torres has investigated Kushner Companies’ use of construction as a weapon to force rent-stabilized tenants from their apartments, which led to new laws preventing tenant harassment. Torres is also working on the taxi medallion doubt crisis that has left thousands of immigrant cab drivers in debt.

“The most important thing to know about the Bronx,” Torres said in the video, “is that what most people want is not a handout. What most people want is a fighting chance at a decent life.” 

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.