Ritchie Torres is a Latino candidate who is making strides, turning heads and commanding attention and doing it all for good reason. He has all the capabilities to break all the stereotypes associated in running for Congress. But can he win the Bronx congress seat?

According to Be Latina, Torres is aspiring for the 15th Congress District of the South Bronx. He gained prominence when he became a part of the city council for the Bronx. What is more interesting is that he is all that his opponents and critics do not like. Torres is thengay son of  a Puerto Rican and African-American and he's a millennial. He does not see any of these as a distraction, instead he uses it to his advantage. 

The 31 year old council member believes in equal marriage to all. He is the first openly gay public official in the Bronx. Torres is up against Rubén Díaz, Sr., a fellow member of the Bronx council and who has stated his stance against same sex marriage. Díaz is widely popular in their area and it will be interesting how Ritchie Torres can prove he has what it takes just like he did six years ago.

Díaz made a controversial remark earlier this year which prompted the gay public official to call for the resignation of Diaz from his own committee. "To have an elected official attack the quality and dignity of L.G.B.T. people sends a message to young people who are thinking of taking their own life as they struggle with their identity," a part of Torres's statement from the New York Times reads. 

What makes him relatable to the community is his struggles coming from growing up gay and coming from a minority group. His causes reflect progressive stance. Housing, healthcare and transparency in taxi medallion market. With being a black leader and a great communicator, Torres is often compared to former U.S. President Barack Obama. Ritchie Torres shies away from the comparison and while he admits that they are both agents of change, he wanted to become his own man and make a name for himself. 

Aside from Diaz, Torres faces stiff competition from Michael Blake, Ydanis Rodriguez, Tomas Ramos, Jonathan Ortiz,  Marlene Cintron and Melissa Mark-Viverito. Torres's advantage is that he has the trust of the poor which manifested in their donations to his campaign. So far, he has been able to raise close to a million dollars, in an area widely regarded as one of the poorest congressional districts in the United States.

Bronx congressman José E. Serrano is set to retire due to Parkinson's disease. According to AM NY, the Democratic primary will likely take place in June. The outcome will surely affect the general election in November.

He is pro-Israel, but also calls out the nation if they have missteped some bounds. Torres believes that the banning of Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar to enter Israel is not right. 

Torres is hoping he can raise enough funds and votes in the preliminary. History will then judge if he is indeed an agent of change or just the same old traditional politicians.