NEW YORK CITY - Rep. Ritchie Torres is fighting to retain his position representing several neighborhoods in the Bronx.
Meet the candidates
What we know:
Former New York City mayoral candidate Rev. Michael Blake and political organizer Jose Vega are vying for Torres' spot.
Ritchie Torres
Torres became the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to represent the Bronx in 2013 after being elected to the City Council. He is now serving his third term as a congressmember.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 02: Flanked by fellow House Democrats from New York State, U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) speaks out against the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. House Re …
On his campaign website, Torres says that his motto is, "If you do nothing, nothing will change." Issues Torres says are paramount to him include:
- fighting for quality health care
- protecting city neighborhoods from gun violence
- making the Bronx an affordable place to live
He is being backed by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Adriano Espaillat.
Michael Blake
Former State Assemblymember Blake previously ran in the recent mayoral election – he cross-endorsed with then-contender Mamdani.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 24: New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) greets voters with Democratic mayoral candidate Michael Blake on 161st Street on June 24, 2025 in the South Bronx in New York City. Mamdani held several campai …
Blake joined former President Barack Obama's campaign as the Iowa Deputy Political Director and Constituency Outreach Director in 2007.
Following the election, he concluded as the Michigan Deputy State Director and Political Director for the general election by the end of Obama's first campaign. He is also an ordained reverend.
Blake has a lengthy list of issues on his campaign website, which include:
- eliminating credit score requirements for affordable housing
- enforcing the state's anti-mask law against federal agents
- canceling student loan debt
The reverend also has a separate page dedicated to repealing the Laken Riley Act, a law that requires undocumented immigrants who are arrested or charged with certain crimes be detained.
His campaign is endorsed by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, former Mayor Bill de Blasio and several different groups and unions.
Jose Vega
Final candidate Jose Vega is a political organizer; he previously ran against Torres as an independent candidate in 2024.
He mentions on his campaign website that he is interested in bringing "an end to the two-party system in the U.S."
The Source: This article includes information from the candidates' campaign websites.