Ritchie Torres made history by becoming the first ever openly gay Afro-Latino Congressman after having been a New York City Council member. In a heavily Democratic district, Torres competed against 12 candidates in the Democratic primary.
Torres in a statement said “It is the honour of a lifetime to represent a borough filled with essential workers who have risked their lives so that New York City could live. The Bronx is essential, and the vibrant, loving and talented people who live here have shown time and again their power, fortune and perseverance. The Bronx is the heartbeat of New York City.”
“I hope I can represent the possibility that a poor kid, a kid of color, a LGBTQ kid from a place like the Bronx, can overcome the odds and become a member of the United States Congress,” he added.
Torres, who identified himself as an Afro-Latino, has served in the New York City Council since 2013. He defeated nearly a dozen other Democrats in the June primary after Republican Jose Serrano announced his retirement earlier this year. He is expected to be joined by another Black gay man, Mondaire Jones, into the US House of Representatives, following the retirement of Republican Nita Lowey from Westchester county.
Torres is a Standford and Harvard law graduate and had served in the Justice Department under the Obama administration.