Torres, Avila Chevalier win congressional seats

Riverdale-area residents cast their ballots in two contested congressional races this year. Congressional District 15, which includes Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil and parts of the south and east Bronx, will be represented by U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres for another term. Congressional District 13, which includes Marble Hill, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights and other parts of the west Bronx and Upper Manhattan, will have a new face in office, first-time runner Darializa Avila Chevalier.

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres wins over challengers

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres secured his fourth term to represent Congressional District 15.

The Associated Press called the race shortly after polls closed at 9 p.m. Torres was up against four other candidates on the ballot. He won 76.88% of the vote with more than 92,000 votes and 95.69% of votes reported by press time, according to unofficial election night results from the New York City Board of Elections.

Torres thanked voters for their trust.

“As a born and bred Bronxite, it is the profound honor of a lifetime to serve you in Washington,” Torres said.

In light of weakened federal support for social safety net programs, Torres said he helped secure an exemption for the Bronx for new Medicaid work requirements, adding he will continue to fight for one for SNAP as well. Torres encouraged constituents to reach out to his office for assistance with any federal agency, or other concerns.

Torres first took office in 2021, previously serving in the city council as the city’s youngest elected official when he was 25 years old, and the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected in the Bronx. He grew up in public housing, and said on his website he governs from lived experience with poverty.

Torres’ platform is focused on affordability, artificial intelligence safety, combatting antisemitism and holding the Trump administration accountable, he previously told The Press. A few of his accomplishments include championing the redesign of the Cross Bronx Expressway to improve public health, and securing more that $60 million in community project funding for the Bronx and more than $1 billion for the city’s public hospital system.

He has received criticism over the years for his staunch support of Israel and accepting American Israeli Public Affairs Committee donations.

He serves on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party and the House Committee on Financial Services, as well as several subcommittees involving housing, technology and national security.

Torres is the founder and chair of the Congressional Clubhouse Caucus, which allows Congress members to advocate for improved mental health care through clubhouses, or a network of community centers that have a comprehensive recovery approach for individuals with severe mental illnesses, according to Torres’ website.

In the General Election, he competed on the ballot against Stylo Sapaskis with the Republican Party, Gonzalo Duran with the Conservative Party, Jose Vega with the Speak the Truth Party and Andre Easton with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

Duran congratulated Torres on his re-election, thanking the other candidates, the Bronx Conservative Party and his voters.

“I knew this race would be an uphill battle, but I was determined to do my part in fighting socialism,” Duran said.

Vega said he was glad he ran the race, and was pleased at he and Easton’s combined results.

“I’m going to continue to speak the truth, and I forecast that there will come a day when the Epstein class is going to crumble and fall,” Vega said.

Sapaskis said he plans to run for U.S. Senate in 2028.

Easton said he was proud of his campaign and the voters who chose socialism.

“That’s a really powerful statement of the political sentiment and desires of the working people in District 15,” Easton said.

Darializa Avila Chevalier takes congressional seat

Political newcomer Darializa Avila Chevalier came out on top in New York’s 13th Congressional District, defeating Republican challenger Jomo M. Williams on the ballot.

The Associated Press called the race shortly after polls closed at 9 p.m. Avila Chevalier secured 71.88% of the vote, with more than 111,500 votes with 93.76% of votes reported as of press time, according to the board of elections.

“Thank you,” Avila Chevalier said at her election night watch party. “I will honor your trust, and I will take it with me to the hall of power and Congress.”

Williams could not be reached for comment on election night.

Avila Chevalier will succeed incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, whom she unseated in a closely watched Democratic primary in June.

The daughter of a truck driver and a caseworker, Avila Chevalier was raised by a single mother in a working-class Dominican family, according to her campaign website. She moved to New York City more than a decade ago to attend Columbia University.

Avila Chevalier worked as an investigator for a public defender’s office in Harlem and has assisted immigrants facing deportation, her website states. She has also taught courses at Columbia University and the City University of New York.

Throughout her campaign, Avila Chevalier emphasized affordability, housing protections, immigration reform and expanding access to education and healthcare. Her platform calls for universal child care, tuition-free public colleges and Medicare for All, which would establish universal health coverage, including dental, vision and mental health services.

On housing, her campaign website states she supports increasing federal funding for the New York City Housing Authority, expanding rental assistance and capping annual rent increases at 5% for existing units owned by large landlords.

Her economic proposals, according to her campaign site, include raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, establishing a universal basic income and implementing a 32-hour workweek without reducing pay.

Immigration reform is another central priority cited by her campaign. Avila Chevalier has called for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, expanding pathways to citizenship and providing free legal representation to immigrants navigating federal proceedings.

“Winning is not the finish line,” Avila Chevalier said. “I have watched too many people get elected and disappear.” She said she plans to remain active instead.