Nemorin launched<\/a> her campaign last November with a platform focused on housing and reforming the Area Median Income system, healthcare, immigrants\u2019 rights and opposition to ICE.\u00a0<\/p>\n The race attracted early attention<\/a>, as did Nemorin herself, as a DSA candidate in the wake of Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s historic win.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, Torres\u2019 main remaining Democratic primary challenger is Michael Blake, who most recently ran for mayor and previously represented the Bronx in the State Assembly. Andre Easton and Jose Vega are running as independents; Jon LaTona and John Maynard Harris are also listed as candidates but have not reported any funds raised.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a Black woman raised by a Haitian immigrant family, living in the South Bronx and practicing law throughout the campaign, Nemorin said running for office challenged her in every way.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI did not think it would be easy, but it was far harder than I thought,\u201d she said. \u201cNo matter how many times you\u2019re in the passenger seat, you don\u2019t know how to drive.\u201d<\/p>\n For instance, Nemorin said staffing her campaign felt like the stereotypical scenario of a woman walking alone into an auto shop. She didn\u2019t know where to find the right people and felt she encountered a surprising number of \u201ccrooks,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nemorin also said she had difficulty keeping up with the obligations of fundraising and campaign finance law and was discouraged by the fact that, too often, \u201cThe person with the most money is the winner.\u201d Records show she ended her campaign with about $12,000 cash on hand, compared to Torres\u2019 $15 million.<\/p>\n Grassroots candidates who lack capital can have trouble resisting what she called \u201ccapitulation to donors\u201d \u2014 and yet, all candidates need money to win. A plan to \u201cjust knock on doors\u201d is not enough, Nemorin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n She also said she underestimated how early candidates need to begin a race.\n<\/p>\n Unlike Nemorin, Blake and Vega have run multiple campaigns, and Easton had prior campaign experience with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, though not as a candidate himself.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Nemorin said she learned hard lessons about how a political race becomes much larger than the individual. Behind each winning candidate is a strange alchemy of timing, strategy, money, luck and other factors that did not go her way. When Nemorin saw no viable path to victory without taking on massive debt, she had to end the campaign, she said.<\/p>\n There were plenty of people who \u201cbelieved in me, but didn\u2019t believe in the race.\u201d Now, Nemorin said she fully appreciates what it takes to run, let alone win, \u201cand to do it with your morals intact.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShoutout to the people who didn\u2019t [win] but tried,\u201d she said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u2018A powerful voice\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n Nemorin said part of her grief in dropping out comes from her strong opposition to Torres, whom she called \u201ca showboat.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n She said his millions in campaign cash can easily deter candidates who, like her, believe he has not responsibly stewarded federal investment to the Bronx. \u201cBefore we want our tax dollars serving other countries, we want them serving our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout her campaign, Nemorin said the federal government under any representative has done little to address poverty in the Bronx, which is the root of many other problems \u2014 sometimes the kind that land on her criminal defense docket.\u00a0<\/p>\n NY-15 has a median income of $44,554, with poverty nearly double the statewide rate, according to census data<\/a> \u2014 and re-electing Torres would mean \u201ca continuation of neglect of the federal level,\u201d Nemorin said.<\/p>\n However, she said she is not endorsing anyone at the moment. She has remained involved in the race, recently moderating a virtual debate<\/a> between Blake and Vega hosted by OneNYCAction, which backed Mamdani\u2019s mayoral run.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happens after our primary is another thing for me to explore,\u201d she said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Despite the difficult end to her campaign, Nemorin did not rule out a future run.\n<\/p>\n She said she made many worthwhile connections during the race and uncovered new corners of the huge, diverse district. For instance, she said she learned more about concerns facing homeowners, not just renters.<\/p>\n \u201cI can still be a voice for people, because I do have a powerful voice, and just making sure I use that voice to uplift other people is important to me,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n If there is a next time around, Nemorin said she plans to lean more on her identity as a Black woman with Haitian immigrant roots \u2014 partly because she said Bronxites are ready for another woman in Congress.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 750,000 residents of NY-15 have never had a woman representative.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cI hope to see that in our lifetime,\u201d Nemorin said, pointing to the political success of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a woman of Puerto Rican descent representing NY-14 in the Bronx and Queens, as proof that it\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n In general, Nemorin said, the country would be stronger with more women in politics.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe may not exhibit power like men do, but that doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re powerless,\u201d she said. \u201cI would argue that we are more effective with our power.\u201d<\/p>\n While the current House of Representatives is the most racially and ethnically diverse<\/a> in American history, still, of more than 500 members, only about 30 are Black women.<\/p>\n Electing a Black Haitian woman to Congress in the Bronx would be hugely significant, Nemorin said. \u201cI thought too small about what it meant to run and all the things that would represent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Nemorin said she is preparing to tie up loose ends in the race and that, after processing and reflecting, she will be able to come back stronger.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t take it lightly to suspend my campaign,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The month since the email blast announcing her withdrawal from the race has been marked by some confusion. Her campaign website<\/a>, including the donations page, remains active, and she has not yet spoken formally about her decision to drop out.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n However, her updated Instagram<\/a> profile sums up the situation clearly: \u201cCampaign suspended | Still hate Ritchie Torres.\u201d<\/p>\n Torres\u2019 campaign sent a statement that included a long list of endorsements from prominent elected officials at the local and national levels, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi<\/a>, Borough President Vanessa Gibson, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> and several more. <\/p>\n The list also included carpenters\u2019 and teachers\u2019 unions, as well as NYCHA tenant association presidents<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cRitchie is focused on delivering real results for working families in the Bronx. Everything else is noise,\u201d the statement said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n As for Nemorin\u2019s next moves, she said she\u2019s not fully settled on future plans, but said, \u201cI do want to use my voice to amplify the needs of the community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Working in partnership with existing organizations, she said she plans to launch some kind of advocacy effort on behalf of sexual assault survivors.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n This issue is highly personal for Nemorin, having experienced assault in the past. And unfortunately, many Bronx women are fellow survivors, she said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Overall, Nemorin said she\u2019s not going anywhere and that supporters should expect to hear more from her soon.\n<\/p>\n Though she didn\u2019t find a path to victory in the NY-15 race, she said she loves being a criminal defense attorney and is excited to put her campaign experience to good use in other ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve done many hard things successfully,\u201d Nemorin said, adding that holding elected office might come in \u201cact two.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20251112_185353_322c59-e1763059139206.jpg\")
Dalourny Nemorin launched her campaign for NY-15, to unseat Ritchie Torres, on Nov. 12, 2025. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/123_1-1.jpeg\")
Nemorin speaking with a church leader at Ebenezer Assembly of God in the Bronx. Photo courtesy Dalourny Nemorin
\nWhat\u2019s next<\/p>\n