Ritchie Torres

Early experiences and education

As a high-school student in the Bronx, Torres was selected for a leadership program and spent time shadowing local public official James Vacca, an experience that drew him toward city government 1. He graduated from Herbert H. Lehman High School and attended New York University starting in 2006, but left after about a year amid a struggle with depression 2,1. These early years set the stage for his entry into Bronx politics.

Housing organizer

After leaving NYU, Torres went to work for James Vacca, who had been elected to the City Council, serving as a constituent liaison and then as the district's housing director 3. In that role he organized tenants and documented housing conditions across the Bronx district, building the expertise and the cause, public housing, that would define his career 3,4. This organizing work was the foundation of his political rise.

Elected to the City Council

In 2013, at age 25, Torres won election to the New York City Council representing the 15th District in the central Bronx 5. He became the city's youngest elected official at the time and the first openly LGBTQ person elected to office in the Bronx 5,6. His campaign drew significant outside spending, and his win launched a seven-year Council career 7.

Rising Council member and NYCHA chair

Torres took office in January 2014 and quickly stood out, becoming a deputy leader as a freshman and chairing the Council's Committee on Public Housing, which oversees NYCHA 8,9. In that role he became a leading public-housing advocate, including holding what was described as the first-ever Council committee hearing inside a public-housing development, which helped spur a major federal investment in repairs 10. His early tenure established his signature focus.

Re-election

Torres was re-elected to the City Council in 2017, continuing his work on housing and oversight 11. His re-election in the heavily Democratic district was not seriously contested, and he deepened his role as a Council watchdog. He would serve through 2020.

Oversight and investigations

In his second term, Torres chaired the Committee on Oversight and Investigations, using the role to investigate issues including lead-paint and heating problems at NYCHA, the taxi-medallion lending scandal, the city's Third-Party Transfer program, and the Kushner Companies 12. He has described oversight as a form of power with fewer limits than legislation, and this investigative work raised his profile 13. The period positioned him for higher office.

Running for Congress

In 2019, Torres announced a bid for the U.S. House seat in New York's 15th District as longtime Representative José E. Serrano prepared to retire 14. He ran in a crowded 2020 Democratic primary, prevailed, and won the general election in the safely Democratic district 15. The win advanced him from city to national politics.

Sworn into Congress

Torres took office in the U.S. House on January 3, 2021 16. With his swearing-in, he and Mondaire Jones became the first openly gay Black men in Congress, and Torres became the first openly gay Afro-Latino member 15. He secured a seat on the influential Financial Services Committee, a rare assignment for a freshman, to continue his housing advocacy 17.

Building a national profile

In his first terms, Torres pursued public-housing funding, including helping place tens of billions of dollars for public housing in the Build Back Better bill, which passed the House but stalled in the Senate 18. He also took on additional committee roles, including Homeland Security and the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and emerged as a prominent, sometimes contrarian Democratic voice 19.

Breaking with the Progressive Caucus

In February 2024, Torres left the Congressional Progressive Caucus, becoming one of the pro-Israel Democrats to depart the caucus amid tensions over Israel following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and the Gaza war 20. The departure underscored his alignment with the party's more moderate, strongly pro-Israel wing, a defining feature detailed in the policy and controversies sections of this series.

The governor flirtation and reversal

Through early 2025, Torres positioned himself as a sharp critic of Governor Kathy Hochul, launching a listening tour and openly weighing a 2026 Democratic primary challenge against her while backing Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral primary 21,22. After democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the June 2025 mayoral primary, Torres said he was unlikely to run for governor and would focus on Washington, and he subsequently endorsed Hochul for re-election in a public reconciliation 23,24. The episode is detailed in the campaigns section of this series.

Re-election and primary challenges

Heading into 2026, Torres focused on re-election to his House seat and faced several Democratic and independent primary challengers centering their campaigns on his pro-Israel record 25. A poll released by a left-leaning group in 2026 showed him with a commanding lead over his challengers 26. His handling of these challenges is detailed in the campaigns section of this series.

Housing director and constituent liaison for Council Member James Vacca (late 2000s).

New York City Council, 15th District: 2014 to 2020 (Chair, Public Housing; later Chair, Oversight and Investigations; deputy leader).

U.S. House of Representatives, New York's 15th District: January 3, 2021 to present (Financial Services; Homeland Security; Select Committee on the CCP).