Conservative launches congressional campaign against Torres

Gonzalo Duran, left, left the Democratic Party in 2023, and though he is running as a conservative, said he identifies as a moderate politician.

Gary Jean-Juste

Gonzalo Duran, a veteran and vice chairman of the Bronx Conservative Party, is the latest challenger to Democratic incumbent Rep. Ritchie Torres. So far, Duran is the only right-leaning candidate in the race to represent Congressional District 15.

He is also a Conservative Party district leader for the 79th Assembly District — covering the southern Bronx neighborhoods of Concourse Village, Melrose, Morrisania, Claremont, Belmont and East Tremont — and founder of the veteran-centered nonprofit Devil Dog USA Incorporated.

Duran told The Press he considers himself a moderate politician, but aligned with the Conservative Party because of his belief in fiscal responsibility. He is running on public safety, affordable housing and veterans services, as well as the pledge to push back against what he sees as a rise in socialist policies.

Some of his ideas are to increase NYPD presence in high-crime areas, enact stronger legislation to protect tenants from drastic rent raises, and allow veterans legal services if they are denied housing without proper cause.

“I know it’s an uphill battle,” Duran said. “But I believe there are more moderates whose voices aren’t being heard.”

He said he hasn’t had many opportunities to speak in Riverdale, but wants to address residents’ zoning and development concerns prompted by the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity. Duran added he wants to lobby at a federal level to better equip the district for possible development, such as increasing parking availability and police presence.

Before any structures are built that “harm the character of the neighborhood,” Duran aims to have a plan in place that will preserve residents’ quality-of-life, he said.

On President Donald Trump, Duran said he believes in “the framework” but doesn’t believe in the “way he rolls his policies out.”

The conservative ran against Torres in 2024 and was able to garner 36,010 votes but lost by a 55 percent margin. Last year, he ran for public advocate, and in 2023 for city council as a Democrat.

Duran switched to the Conservative Party after the Bronx Democratic Party successfully challenged that the binding on his petition was not securely fastened, a move Duran said was an attempt to avoid competition.

The 40 year old was born in Belmont and raised by a single mother who immigrated from El Salvador. He served 8 years in the Marine Corps, including a tour in Iraq, something that instilled “discipline, leadership and a deep sense of duty,” according to Duran’s campaign website.

When Duran returned home in 2011, he discovered a crack in the system. Under a military benefits program called the GI Bill, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides a monthly stipend for education and living expenses. But, since the money can take time to arrive after a soldier is discharged, the funds were seen as ineligible, and landlords rejected Duran’s apartment applications.

For three months, he was homeless and without a job, but emerged committed to filling those gaps for other veterans in the district. In 2013, he founded Devil Dog, which works to integrate veterans back into the community by helping to navigate housing and benefits.

Duran said this campaign is an accumulation of all he’s learned previously, adding his policies, visibility and funding have all strengthened in the last three years.

“My goal would be to put my district and America first,” Duran said. “If you look at the trajectory of my life, I’ve shown that I can accomplish a lot with a very little.”