Incumbent Ritchie Torres (D) defeated Michael Blake (D) and Jose Vega (D) in the Democratic primary for New York's 15th Congressional District - Ballotpedia News
Incumbent Ritchie Torres (D) defeated Michael Blake (D) and Jose Vega (D) in the Democratic primary for New York's 15th Congressional District on June 23, 2026. As of April 2026, Torres and Blake led in endorsements, fundraising, and local media attention.
USA Today's Kathryn Palmer said Blake was "hanging his platform on Torres' ardent support of Israel during the brutal Israel-Hamas war − an issue that has deeply divided sections of the Democratic party." In an interview, Blake said he was "running for Congress because the Bronx deserves better than Richie [sic] Torres...We need to focus on cost of living. We have to focus on how people need us to help them with groceries as opposed to Richie’s [sic] helping to support a genocide." Spectrum News' Dan Rivoli quoted Torres spokesman Benny Stanislawski as saying, "Michael Blake is not interested in the Bronx; he’s only interested in using it to run for office for the fifth time, and the result will be the same as before: another loss. T…