Rep. Ritchie Torres facing 2026 challenge from former DNC official over Israel stance
A former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, Michael Blake, announced this month he is challenging fellow Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres next year for his New York congressional seat representing the Bronx.
Blake, a former state assemblyman who once worked in the Obama administration, is 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 a two-minute campaign video posted to Blake's social media account Nov. 5, images show social media users slamming Torres for his acceptance of funds from the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC , and for his vocal support of the Israeli government.
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Democratic Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, votes at The Frank Sinatra School of the Arts on Nov. 4, 2025 in the Queens borough of New York City. Voters in NYC are voting for who will be replacing Mayor Eric Adams between the front runner New York Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa. More than 735,000 people have voted early, according to the Board of Elections, more than four times as many as in the 2021 contest. This election also has other city offices on the ballot, as well as six proposals.
"I am running for Congress because the people of The Bronx deserve better than Ritchie Torres," Blake said in the video's social media post. "I am ready to fight for you and lower your cost of living while Ritchie fights for a Genocide. I will focus on Affordable Housing and Books as Ritchie will only focus on AIPAC and Bibi. I will invest in the community. Ritchie invests in Bombs. I want to end credit scores for housing. Ritchie only wants to take credit."
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Blake mounted an unsuccessful bid this year for New York City mayor . He challenged Torres for New York's 15th Congressional District seat once before, losing in the June 2020 primary.
In a statement to Politico , Torres spokesperson Benny Stanislawski responded to the critical claims, saying Torres has been "laser-focused on issues like public housing and affordability while standing up to Donald Trump ."
“Michael Blake is not interested in the Bronx," Stanislawski said. "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.”
Support for Israel and anger over its military operations in Gaza since late 2023 has opened up one of the starkest divides within the Democratic party in recent years, bogging down candidates in last year's race up and down the ballot. Former Vice President Kamala Harris encountered fierce criticism from the left flank of the party over the issue during her bid for the White House last year, and early 2026 midterm campaigns indicate it will once again play a significant role in the election cycle.
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Aside from Blake in New York, other Democratic congressional challengers in several races across the country have also centered their early campaign messages on promises to rebuff pro-Israel lobbies, including in California, Michigan and Maine. Pro-Israel groups, including AIPAC and The United Democracy Project, spent millions in Democratic races in 2024, in many cases supporting more centrist, pro-Israel candidates against left-wing challengers who took pro-Palestinian positions.
Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @ KathrynPlmr .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael Blake challenging Ritchie Torres in 2026 over Israel support
