# Ritchie Torres Democratic U.S. Representative for New York's 15th congressional district (the South Bronx), serving since 2021. Torres is one of the most striking political realignment stories in contemporary American politics — a progressive Afro-Latino from public housing who has become AIPAC's favorite Democrat and one of [[Congress]]'s most vocal advocates for both [[Israel]] and the [[Cryptocurrency]] industry. ## Background Torres was born in 1988 in the Bronx to a Puerto Rican and African American family and raised by a single mother in public housing. He was elected to the New York City Council in 2013 at age 25, making him one of the youngest council members in the city's history. He won his [[Congress]] seat in 2020, becoming one of the first openly gay Afro-Latino members of Congress. ## The Israel pivot Torres entered Congress with progressive credentials, but after October 7, 2023 he emerged as one of the fiercest defenders of Israel in the Democratic caucus. He left the Congressional Progressive Caucus and began clashing publicly and relentlessly with Squad members [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]], [[Ilhan Omar]], and [[Rashida Tlaib]] over their criticism of Israel's military operations. His transformation tracked closely with a surge in AIPAC support — Torres became one of the top recipients of AIPAC-affiliated donations, illustrating the feedback loop between [[Campaign Finance]], [[Lobbying]], and policy positions that the vault documents across many pages. ## Crypto champion Torres is also among the most pro-cryptocurrency members of [[Congress]], receiving significant donations from the crypto industry, including from [[Coinbase]] and other major players. His dual alignment with both the Israel lobby and the crypto lobby makes him a case study in how [[Dark Money]] and single-issue donor networks can reshape a politician's ideological profile. The pattern echoes the broader dynamics around [[Super PACs]] and [[Political Action Committee]] spending that have accelerated since [[Citizens United v. FEC]]. ## NYC mayoral run In 2025 Torres announced a run for mayor of New York City, attempting to translate his national profile and donor network into local executive power. ## Why he's in the KB Torres is in the vault as a case study in donor-driven [[Party Realignment]] within the [[Democratic Party]]. A progressive from the South Bronx who became AIPAC's top Democratic ally illustrates how [[Campaign Finance]] and single-issue politics can reshape ideology more powerfully than constituency or biography. His [[Cryptocurrency]] industry connections add a second vector of tech-finance influence on legislative behavior. The Torres trajectory is the mirror image of the [[Republican Party]]'s purge of dissenters like [[Liz Cheney]] — where the GOP enforces loyalty through primaries, the Democratic establishment enforces it through donor pipelines. ## See Also - [[Campaign Finance]] - [[Cryptocurrency]] - [[Dark Money]] - [[Lobbying]] - [[Super PACs]] - [[Democratic Party]] - [[Party Realignment]]