Ritchie Torres

Ritchie John Torres is the U.S. Representative for New York's 15th congressional district, serving since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was raised by a single mother in the Throggs Neck Houses, a public housing project in the Bronx. He attended Herbert H. Lehman High School and briefly studied at New York University before leaving to focus on his mental health and entering public service. Torres began his career in local government as a staffer for New York City Council Member Jimmy Vacca, where he worked as a housing director and community organizer. In 2013, at the age of 25, Torres was elected to the New York City Council, becoming the youngest elected official in the city at the time and the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to office in the Bronx. During his tenure on the council (2014–2020), he chaired the Committee on Public Housing and the Committee on Oversight and Investigations. He was noted for his work on protecting affordable housing, securing significant federal investment for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and investigating predatory lending practices within the taxi medallion industry. Torres was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2020, succeeding long-time Representative José E. Serrano. Upon being sworn in on January 3, 2021, he and Mondaire Jones became the first openly gay Black men to serve in Congress; Torres also identifies as the first openly gay Afro-Latino member of Congress. In the House, he has served on the Committee on Financial Services and the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

Torres's policy positions generally align with the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party. On healthcare, he is a staunch supporter of the Affordable Care Act and has advocated for expanding access to mental health services and reducing health disparities in underserved communities. His economic platform emphasizes the protection of labor rights, support for collective bargaining, and the oversight of digital assets to protect consumer retirement funds. He has consistently advocated for affordable housing, citing his personal background as a primary motivator for securing federal funding for public housing infrastructure. Regarding immigration, Torres supports permanent legal protections for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders and has criticized policies that restrict immigrant visas or separate families. On environmental issues, he has opposed legislation that favors fossil fuel development and instead supports clean energy transitions, such as those funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. In foreign policy, Torres is a prominent supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship and has voiced support for security assistance to Ukraine. While critical of certain Chinese government practices, he has also cautioned against broad sanctions that might impede diplomatic engagement.