{"id":276711,"date":"2026-06-24T15:35:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T15:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/276711\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T15:35:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T15:35:09","slug":"tonight-the-people-of-the-bronx-have-spoken-ritchie-torres-celebrates-re-election-to-ny-15-bronx-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/276711\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Tonight, the people of the Bronx have spoken\u2019 Ritchie Torres celebrates re-election to NY-15 \u2013 Bronx Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bronx native and incumbent Ritchie Torres celebrated his fourth-consecutive congressional win Tuesday evening at Michaelangelo\u2019s Restaurant<\/a> on Arthur Ave, following a divisive race between himself and opponents Michael Blake and Jose Vega. <\/p>\n

Torres was congratulated by a cheering crowd full of constituents, friends, family, and political peers.\n<\/p>\n

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson introduced Torres, whom she previously worked with on the New York City Council.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen the work that Ritchie has done. I\u2019ve seen him show up for our community and deliver results for the people of this district. That\u2019s not just talent, but that is a purpose,\u201d Gibson said.<\/p>\n

Torres joked that he expected to win the race, but was honored to receive over 70% of the vote. He received over 23,000 votes<\/a> in the Democratic primary for NY-15.<\/p>\n

\u201cI live by the commandment of \u2018love thy neighbor. And there are forces in our politics who want us to hate our neighbor, to fear our neighbor, to blame our neighbor, to be divided against our neighbor. Tonight, the people of the Bronx have spoken. The people, the Bronx, have chosen love over hate,\u201d Torres said.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cTonight the people of the Bronx have spoken. The people, the Bronx, have chosen love over hate,\u201d Torres said. Photo by Aviva Stoken<\/p>\n

Aside from Gibson, Torres thanked former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, \u201cfuture House speaker\u201d Hakeem Jeffries, Bronx Democratic Party Chair Jamaal Bailey and Assembly members John Zaccaro, George Alvarez, Jeffrey Dinowitz and Chantel Jackson for their support. Torres also thanked City Council members Althea Stevens, Kevin Riley, Oswald Feliz and Eric Dinowitz.<\/p>\n

Gibson \u2013 whom Torres deemed his \u201cfavorite\u201d of his many allies \u2013 later said \u201cUnfortunately, politics sometimes brings out the very worst of people, and I\u2019m very glad, not only did Richie win, but he won big. He kicked butt and he deserves to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the allusions to the heated race and Torres\u2019 opposition, the crowd included various community members from different backgrounds who were joyous to see Torres win re-election.<\/p>\n

\u201cRitchie Torres has been very pro-Israel, and that really reflects with my values for the Jewish community,\u201d and proclaimed excitement for \u201call the good change that guy can bring to the Bronx,\u201d Jed, an intern for Torres\u2019 campaign, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Torres received over 23,000 votes in the Democratic primary for NY-15. Photo by Aviva Stoken<\/p>\n

Thurito Martinez and Gregoria Flores gathered over 35 Garifuna individuals to volunteer in support of Torres. In 2023, Torres co-created the US Garifuna Caucus<\/a>, which he continues to chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor him to take us into account, bring us to Washington and bring the Garifuna flight to to the federal government, that is a big thing,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n

Mail-carrier Maria Cambero said she\u2019s been delivering Torres\u2019 campaign flyers for a while now and was confident he would win, seeing so many people rallying for him. <\/p>\n

\u201cOnce he changes, everything goes down, but knowing Ritchie Torres, our congressman \u2013 Yay! \u2013 He\u2019s definitely going to continue being as great as he always is,\u201d Cambero said.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cUnfortunately, politics sometimes brings out the very worst of people, and I\u2019m very glad, not only did Richie win, but he won big. He kicked butt and he deserves to win,\u201d Gibson said of Torres\u2019 win. Photo by Aviva Stoken<\/p>\n

Borough President Gibson, who won her bid for re-election last year, added that though tourism and economic development are two priorities of her new term, she\u2019s looking forward to working with Torres on healthcare and housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need more investment in [the] New York City Housing Authority, which is still unregulated housing. It\u2019s the largest concentration of affordable housing that we represent in the US. Ritchie has the ability to lead that effort and I want to be there to support,\u201d Gibson said.<\/p>\n

As the event winded down, Torres said a specific issue he hopes to work on in the coming years is affordability.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cost of housing, the cost of utilities, the cost of insurance. We need to use every tool at our disposal to drive down costs for everyday Bronx families.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cElective office is not a property right. It does not belong to the elected officials. It belongs to the people. And it\u2019s something that has to be earned every day and I\u2019m going to work my heart out to earn the votes of those who voted for me and those who did not,\u201d Torres said to all his constituents.<\/p>\n

Maurice Burbridge is an intern at the Bronx Times. He can be reached at\u00a0mburbridge@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n