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Andre Easton, member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, leads a session on climate justice at South Bronx United\u2019s clubhouse on Dec. 6, 2025. Photo Emily Swanson\n<\/p>\nDusk fell over Yankee Stadium and crowds of people rushed to the subway, past the McDonald\u2019s where Arturo Alicea stood. The Bronx resident shook his head when asked if he knew Congressman Ritchie Torres.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey always talking about they from the neighborhoods, but you never know who they are,\u201d Alicea said.\n<\/p>\n
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.\n<\/p>\n
Mamdani won the mayoral election by 11-points in the Bronx, energizing a crowded field of challengers vying to represent voters in the borough\u2019s 15th Congressional District. Many of them seek to replicate his on-the-ground campaign strategy.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Ritchie Torres\u2019 campaign has not responded to the Bronx Times\u2019 inquiry for comment on his campaign.
\nAndre Easton, member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, leads a session on climate justice at South Bronx United\u2019s clubhouse on Dec. 6, 2025. Photo Emily Swanson\n<\/p>\n
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\u2019s platform<\/a> echoes the Mamdani campaign<\/a>, from affordable housing to free childcare.<\/p>\n Easton said his campaign is taking notes on Mamdani\u2019s ability to mobilize working-class New Yorkers.\n<\/p>\n \u201cZohran was very energizing,\u201d Easton said. \u201cHe was able to speak to the affordability crisis, not just with vague references but putting forth those bold proposals.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The Bronx, historically characterized by low voter turnout, saw over 100,000 more voters for mayor in 2025<\/a> than 2021<\/a>, according to the NYC Board of Elections. Political analysts and challengers alike are asking whether the same grassroots energy that fueled Mamdani\u2019s win could translate to a competitive congressional race.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s campaign strategy.<\/p>\n \u201cIf 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,\u201d Polanco said.<\/p>\n Jose Vega, a political organizer who is challenging Torres for the second time, said the key is meeting voters where they are.\n<\/p>\n \u201cBeing in the streets was the most important aspect of his campaign,\u201d Vega said.\n<\/p>\n Vega is running on a<\/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\u2019s political landscape.<\/p>\n He also continues to prioritize direct engagement with residents. \u201cPeople like to be listened to, not lectured,\u201d Vega said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s young, he\u2019s energetic,\u201d Ashby said. \u201cI like the way he\u2019s campaigned trying to get everywhere with everybody mixing with all types of different people. I don\u2019t see other candidates doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t be in the neighborhoods, they don\u2019t partake in what\u2019s going on,\u201d Alicea said. \u201cIf they are out here, you would know about them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Alicea said he had not heard of Torres or any of his challengers.\n<\/p>\n Another Bronx resident, Nicky Rodriguez, said the same, noting that in-person events and social media outreach could help candidates connect with Bronx constituents.\n<\/p>\n Challengers see this disengagement as a sign that the borough is ready for change. \u201cYou 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\u2019t know who he is,\u201d Michael Blake said. \u201cIt shows how disconnected Richie is from the actual voters on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n Blake, a former New York State Assembly Member, aims to<\/a> 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\u2019s victory.<\/p>\n At the same time, candidates like Dalourny Nemorin pointed to New York\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cRitchie has to reintroduce himself to a large portion of his district now,\u201d Nemorin said. \u201cJust because no one knows who you are doesn\u2019t give you a blank slate.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Nemorin is pushing for housing measures<\/a> like universal rent control and addressing affordability concerns by raising the minimum wage.\n<\/p>\n The public defender and long-time organizer for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), who endorsed Mamdani<\/a>, emphasized that on-the-ground organizing was central to his win in the borough.<\/p>\n \u201cThe November results are demonstrative of what happens when you decide that we\u2019re gonna send door knockers, we\u2019re gonna activate, we\u2019re gonna organize, in the Bronx because we know that people can turn out,\u201d Nemorin said.<\/p>\n Polanco said ballot structure and party affiliation also played a role in how voters approached the November ballot.\n<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of disaffected Democrats voted for assemblyman Mamdani by default because he\u2019s a Democrat,\u201d Polanco said. \u201cHe\u2019s line A on the ballot.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Cuomo name is something that has been present for decades,\u201d Blake said. \u201cVoters made a conscious decision that they wanted change.\u201d\n<\/p>\n In addition to grassroots outreach, many of Torres\u2019 challengers are spotlighting national issues, including the Congressman\u2019s support of Israel and his vote for the Laken Riley Act<\/a>, which expanded the scope of immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n \u201cAssociating the Congress member to some of the things we\u2019ve been watching on the news, that may bode well in parts of the district,\u201d Polanco said.\n<\/p>\n Easton agreed that voters on the ground have been receptive to this approach.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe response that we\u2019re getting is you know these things are expensive, but there always seems to be money for war,\u201d Easton said.\n<\/p>\n 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.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI wonder if Ritchie Torres is part of the Vanguard that\u2019s going to help that happen, or he\u2019s kind of part of the old guard that might be getting pushed aside,\u201d Wilson said.\n<\/p>\n 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\u00a0macyhb@gmail.com<\/a>.\u00a0For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-13-at-1.39.32-PM.jpg\")
Voters walk in to vote at Hostos Community College, poll workers are stationed outside.Photo by Che de los Reyes.<\/p>\n
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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\n<\/p>\n
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Ballot box at Hostos Community College on the day of the mayoral election. Photo by Che de los Reyes.\n<\/p>\n