After a Month of Caution, Ritchie Finally Claims Win!
In Democratic primaries for Congress, State Senate, gay men to color to the fore
BY MATT TRACY
How does Congressmember
Ritchie Torres
sound?
Weeks after establishing
an early lead in the Democratic
primary race for New York’s
15th Congressional District, out
gay City Councilmember Ritchie
Torres has pulled away from the
competition and declared victory,
solidifying a primary election night
result that saw two candidates
from districts in New York on the
verge of becoming the fi rst out gay
men of color elected to Congress.
Counting mail-in votes, Torres
has 37.81 percent, more than
20 points ahead of second-place
candidate Samelys Lopez in the
Bronx race, while out gay candidate
Mondaire Jones of Northern
Westchester and Rockland County
expanded his already-formidable
lead in the 17th Congressional
District by the time the Associated
Press declared him the victor in his
crowded competition last week.
“The counting is all but over,”
Torres wrote in a tweet July 22.
“On Primary Day, we were ahead
by 4,516 votes. As of yesterday evening,
our lead had grown to 7803
(far larger than the # of uncounted
ballots). Even if our nearest rival
were to win every single one, we
would remain ahead by a wide
margin.”
He added, “I want to thank the
voters of NY15, as well as my supporters
here and elsewhere, for entrusting
me with the Democratic
nomination. Looking forward to
fi ghting for the essential workers
and mothers of the South Bronx.
Stay tuned!”
The victories by Torres and Jones
were accompanied by LGBTQ wins
down the ballot by a Brooklyn
state senate candidate and a slew
of other contenders.
Jones responded to Torres’ tweet,
congratulating him on his win and
saying that “the American people
will be better off when you bring
your forceful advocacy and commitment
to justice to the House.”
“Looking forward to causing
Ritchie Torres is the apparent Democratic nominee for Congress in the Bronx’s deep blue 15th District
after expanding his lead during the mail-in vote count.
TWITTER/ MONDAIRE JONES
Jabari Brisport, the winner of the of the Democratic
primary in Brooklyn’s State Senate District
25, would be the fi rst out LGBTQ person of color
in the New York State Legislature.
‘good trouble’ with you, my brother,”
Torres responded, invoking the
words of the late civil rights icon
Congressmember John Lewis, who
died July 17 at the age of 80.
While there are more than three
months remaining until the general
election, Torres is all but guaranteed
to win in an overwhelmingly
blue district, while Jones’ 17th
Congressional District, long served
by retiring Representative Nita
Lowey, also boasts a strong Democratic
registration advantage.
Torres is poised to become the
fi rst out gay Afro-Latinx member of
Congress, while Jones is on track
to be the fi rst out gay Black member
of Congress. The pair would
join Congressmembers Mark Takano
of California, a Japanese
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL/ JEFF REED
FACEBOOK/ JABARI BRISPORT
Jabari Brisport, the winner of the of the Democratic
primary in Brooklyn’s State Senate District
25, would be the fi rst out LGBTQ person of color
in the New York State Legislature.
American, and Sharice Davids of
Kansas, who is Native American,
as the only out LGBTQ people of
color elected to Congress.
Among the region’s other lingering
congressional races, 16-term
Representative Eliot Engel, of the
Bronx and Wetchester, conceded
to progressive insurgent Jamaal
Bowman, while 14-term Representative
Carolyn Maloney, who
represents portions of Manhattan,
Queens, and Brooklyn, is in the
midst of a tight bid for re-election
against challenger Suraj Patel.
Elsewhere in the June primary,
Jabari Brisport jumped out to an
early lead in Brooklyn’s State Senate
District 25 that put him on the
cusp of becoming the fi rst out LGBTQ
Black member of the State
POLITICS
Legislature. With most of the mail
ballots counted, Brisport claimed
victory on July 23.
Out trans State Assembly candidate
Kristen Browde of Westchester
conceded her race to Chris Burdick,
who narrowly defeated her
in the 93rd Assembly District;
and out queer Assembly candidate
Genesis Aquino of Brooklyn fell far
short in a race that saw incumbent
Felix Ortiz get toppled by challenger
Marcela Mitaynes.
Primary night featured important
gains for local district leader
candidates. Within days of the start
of the count of the mail-in ballots,
congratulatory tweets celebrated
the victory of out trans Democratic
district leader candidate Melissa
Sklarz of Queens, who had trailed
her opponent in the in-person primary
day vote in Assembly District
30, Part B.
The Stonewall Democratic Club
of New York City tweeted, “After
absentee ballots were counted it’s
now clear that @MSKLARZ has
won her primary election for Female
District Leader in AD-30!!”
Emilia Decaudin, another out
trans Queens district leader candidate,
who took the lead in the
in-person vote, claimed victory on
July 23 in Assembly District 37,
Part A. She and Sklarz will be the
city’s fi rst trans district leaders.
Out queer district leader candidates
Samy Nemir-Olivares built
up a commanding 25.5 percent
lead in the in-person total for the
53rd Assembly District in Brooklyn,
and claimed victory on July
23. Out gay district leader candidate
Zachariah Boyer of Queens
held a 300-vote lead following the
in-person vote, and he too claimed
victory on July 23, in Assembly
District 36, Part B..
In Brooklyn’s 51st Assembly District,
out queer Latinx district leader
candidate Julio Peña III cruised
to a decisive lead on primary day
and has claimed the win, while
Justin Westbrook-Lowery, an out
gay Black district leader hopeful in
the Bronx’s Assembly District 87
who led by 572 votes in in-person
votes, has also declared victory.
GayCityNews.com | July 30 - August 12, 2020 5
/GayCityNews.com
