Dusk fell over Yankee Stadium and crowds of people rushed to the subway, past the McDonald’s where Arturo Alicea stood. The Bronx resident shook his head when asked if he knew Congressman Ritchie Torres.
“They always talking about they from the neighborhoods, but you never know who they are,” Alicea said.
Just a few months ago, former Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani managed to break through the disconnect that many Bronx voters feel from their elected officials.
Mamdani won the mayoral election by 11-points in the Bronx, energizing a crowded field of challengers vying to represent voters in the borough’s 15th Congressional District. Many of them seek to replicate his on-the-ground campaign strategy.
The 2026 NY-15 ticket currently includes incumbent Ritchie Torres, Michael Blake, Dalourny Nemorin, Amanda Septimo, Jon LaTona, Jose Vega and Andre Easton. All but Easton, who is running as an independent, will be challenging Torres in the primary this June. Many of these candidates have begun adopting the strategies that led Mamdani to his victory.
Ritchie Torres’ campaign has not responded to the Bronx Times’ inquiry for comment on his campaign.
Andre Easton, member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, leads a session on climate justice at South Bronx United’s clubhouse on Dec. 6, 2025. Photo Emily Swanson
Easton, a Bronx public school teacher and member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, has built his campaign around lowering rent, raising wages, and expanding social programs. Much of Easton’s platform echoes the Mamdani campaign, from affordable housing to free childcare.
Easton said his campaign is taking notes on Mamdani’s ability to mobilize working-class New Yorkers.
“Zohran was very energizing,” Easton said. “He was able to speak to the affordability crisis, not just with vague references but putting forth those bold proposals.”
The Bronx, historically characterized by low voter turnout, saw over 100,000 more voters for mayor in 2025 than 2021, according to the NYC Board of Elections. Political analysts and challengers alike are asking whether the same grassroots energy that fueled Mamdani’s win could translate to a competitive congressional race.
J.C. Polanco, a political analyst and professor who served as President of the Bronx to the New York City Board of Elections, said a successful challenger could emerge by following Mamdani’s campaign strategy.
“If the Mamdani faction coalesces around one candidate, and really does a Mamdani-like campaign where young people feel connected, you may have a very interesting primary election where the congressman is gonna have to fight for each and every vote,” Polanco said.
Jose Vega, a political organizer who is challenging Torres for the second time, said the key is meeting voters where they are.
“Being in the streets was the most important aspect of his campaign,” Vega said.
Vega is running on a platform that emphasizes re-industrialization, bringing jobs and investment to the Bronx and tackling what he sees as excessive foreign influence in the district’s political landscape.
Voters walk in to vote at Hostos Community College, poll workers are stationed outside.Photo by Che de los Reyes.
He also continues to prioritize direct engagement with residents. “People like to be listened to, not lectured,” Vega said.
That approach resonated with Bronx voters in November. Before Election Day results rolled in, April Ashby, who was born and raised in the Bronx, sat on a bench in Joyce Kilmer Park explaining why she was willing to give Zohran Mamdani a chance.
“He’s young, he’s energetic,” Ashby said. “I like the way he’s campaigned trying to get everywhere with everybody mixing with all types of different people. I don’t see other candidates doing that.”
When it comes to congressional representatives, however, many Bronx voters feel disconnected. In Concourse Village, voters including Arturo Alicea, said an on-the-ground approach is missing throughout the borough.
“They don’t be in the neighborhoods, they don’t partake in what’s going on,” Alicea said. “If they are out here, you would know about them.”
Alicea said he had not heard of Torres or any of his challengers.
Another Bronx resident, Nicky Rodriguez, said the same, noting that in-person events and social media outreach could help candidates connect with Bronx constituents.
Challengers see this disengagement as a sign that the borough is ready for change.
Michael Blake, who is challenging Rep. Ritchie Torres for the 15th Congressional District, has drawn criticism for a campaign ad featuring a controversial pro-Palestinian social media influencer.Photo courtesy Reuters
“You have a member of Congress who is in a third term, and you have people who after the historic turnout that just happened, are saying they don’t know who he is,” Michael Blake said. “It shows how disconnected Richie is from the actual voters on the ground.”
Blake, a former New York State Assembly Member, aims to address public safety and the cost of living crisis in the borough. The focus on affordability has become a common thread amongst NY-15 challengers, echoing the grassroots approach that fueled Mamdani’s victory.
At the same time, candidates like Dalourny Nemorin pointed to New York’s congressional redistricting, finalized in 2024, as a complicating factor in the race. The redistricting saw Bronx neighborhoods Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil move into NY-15 from NY-16. Norwood also joined from NY-13, making the district entirely Bronx-based under the current map.
“Ritchie has to reintroduce himself to a large portion of his district now,” Nemorin said. “Just because no one knows who you are doesn’t give you a blank slate.”
Nemorin is pushing for housing measures like universal rent control and addressing affordability concerns by raising the minimum wage.
The public defender and long-time organizer for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), who endorsed Mamdani, emphasized that on-the-ground organizing was central to his win in the borough.
“The November results are demonstrative of what happens when you decide that we’re gonna send door knockers, we’re gonna activate, we’re gonna organize, in the Bronx because we know that people can turn out,” Nemorin said.
Polanco said ballot structure and party affiliation also played a role in how voters approached the November ballot.
“A lot of disaffected Democrats voted for assemblyman Mamdani by default because he’s a Democrat,” Polanco said. “He’s line A on the ballot.”
Ballot box at Hostos Community College on the day of the mayoral election. Photo by Che de los Reyes.
Those running in the NY-15 race argue that enthusiasm for Mamdani reflected more than just a ballot position; it demonstrates an energy shift throughout the borough.
“The Cuomo name is something that has been present for decades,” Blake said. “Voters made a conscious decision that they wanted change.”
In addition to grassroots outreach, many of Torres’ challengers are spotlighting national issues, including the Congressman’s support of Israel and his vote for the Laken Riley Act, which expanded the scope of immigration enforcement.
“Associating the Congress member to some of the things we’ve been watching on the news, that may bode well in parts of the district,” Polanco said.
Easton agreed that voters on the ground have been receptive to this approach.
“The response that we’re getting is you know these things are expensive, but there always seems to be money for war,” Easton said.
John Wilson, a voter in neighboring NY-16 who works in the court system in NY-15, said he has seen the political momentum in the Bronx shifting.
“I wonder if Ritchie Torres is part of the Vanguard that’s going to help that happen, or he’s kind of part of the old guard that might be getting pushed aside,” Wilson said.
Macy Hanzlik-Barend is a contributing writer at the Bronx Times and an accountability and data journalism student at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. She can be reached at macyhb@gmail.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!