Ritchie Torres

Every single day across the Bronx, families sit at their kitchen table struggling to make ends meet. How will they make rent in the most expensive city in America? Will their children be safe on the way to school? How will they support their family tomorrow? Those questions weighed heavily on my mother and me as we struggled to scrape by. I’m a product of the Bronx, born and bred. I was raised by a single mother who kept our family afloat on a $4.25 minimum wage. I grew up in a housing project that was full of leaks and lead, with no reliable heat or hot water in the winter. As a product of public housing, public schools, and public hospitals, I had a dream of fighting for my community in the hopes of building a better Bronx. At 25, against all odds, I became the youngest elected official in New York City, and the first openly LGBTQ elected official from the Bronx. I have represented Bronx communities on the New York City Council, and as of November, I’m honored to be the Congressman for New York’s 15th Congressional District. The Bronx needs one of our own to fight for us in Washington, and I’m eager to take up the mantle. I’ll fight for quality health care and housing, schools and jobs. I’ll stand up for immigrants, seniors, and youth. I’ll fight everyday to protect our neighborhoods from gun violence and make the Bronx a safe, decent, affordable place to live. My motto in life is simple: ‘If you do nothing, nothing will change’. We can build a better Bronx, we can build An Affordable America, and we will do it together.

In Solidarity,

Ritchie Torres