Biography

Ritchie John Torres, born on March 12, 1988, in the Bronx, New York, is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for New York's 15th congressional district since January 3, 2021. Raised by his mother in the Throggs Neck Houses, a public housing project in the East Bronx, Torres experienced firsthand the challenges of poverty and inadequate housing conditions. At 25, he became New York City's youngest elected official and the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to office in the Bronx. As a member of the Democratic Party, Torres has focused on issues such as affordable housing, public health, and economic development.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Attended New York University but did not graduate.

• Political Experience:

  • Elected to the New York City Council in 2013, representing the 15th district.
  • Served as Chair of the Committee on Public Housing, overseeing the New York City Housing Authority .
  • Led investigations into issues such as heating outages, lead poisoning at NYCHA, the taxi medallion scandal, and the city's Third-Party Transfer program.
  • Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020, representing New York's 15th congressional district.
  • Serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

Notable Achievements

• Secured a $3 billion FEMA investment for NYCHA, the largest in NYC history.
• Passed over forty pieces of legislation in the City Council, including measures protecting affordable housing and addressing the opioid epidemic.
• Became the first openly gay Afro-Latino elected to Congress.

Ritchie Torres Wins Reelection in NY-15: