Ritchie Torres Makes History as First Gay Afro Latino Elected to Congress
Ritchie Torres has won in New York's 15th Congressional District, making history as the first gay Afro Latino to be elected to Congress.
The 32-year-old had an overwhelming lead from his Republican challenger Patrick Delices, a former professor of Caribbean studies at Hunter College.
According to NBC News, Torres held a certain win in the deep-blue district. He will be replacing Rep. Jose Serrano, a 16-term Democrat who said he will not run for re-election this year.
"Tonight we made history," Torres tweeted on Tuesday night.
He added that it was "the honor of a lifetime" to represent the district filled with essential workers who risked their lives amid the pandemic.
Torres will be joined by New York 17th Congressional District winner Mondaire Jones, as the first openly gay members of Congress.
The Independent noted that Torres was also the first openly gay elected official to the New York City Council. He won the seat at the age of 25.
He was the youngest member of the council.
During his time at the council, he advocated for better public housing and programs that will address racially concentrated poverty.
Torres is also dedicated proponent of police reform. He said police brutality will not come to an end unless there is increased accountability and independent oversight.
Torres's Congress Race
There were 13 candidates who wanted to have the seat that will be vacated by Serrano.
But in the end, Torres defeated all the challengers in the primary in order to become the Democratic nominee.
At the time, he considered his win as "poetic justice."
"What better way to celebrate Pride Month than to defeat the politics of homophobia?" he said.
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Of the 13 candidates who vied for the position, there is Ruben Diaz Sr., a Trump supporter who expressed positions for anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage policy.
Diaz, a 77-year-old Pentecostal minister, referred to gay people as "cursed."
During his time at the New York State Senate, Diaz also voted against the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2009 and 2011.
Torres Wins Largely Hispanic District
According to New York Times, Torres identifies as both Latino and Black.
Growing up, he felt in isolation at the public housing run by the New York City Housing Authority.
He also found no gay role models when he was growing up, so when he came out in 2005, it was not an easy feat.
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Getting him elected suggests that America is becoming more willing to have gay representatives. Better yet, those gay representatives don't have to be white men.
Torres' race was called by the Associated Press on Tuesday, and Jones's was called on Wednesday morning.
Despite the similarities between these two victors, the districts they represent have some apparent differences.
Jones was elected in the suburbs north of New York City. It encompasses Rockland County and some parts of Westchester.
The demographic there is largely affluent and white, where people earn a median income of $108,000.
Meanwhile, Torres' district, in the Bronx, is largely Hispanic and Black. People in the community earn a median income of $31,000.
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