Ritchie Torres: podcast appearances and interviews

Ritchie John Torres is an American politician serving as the United States representative for New York's 15th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served on the New York City Council from 2014 to 2020, representing the same district. During his time on the city council, Torres chaired the Committee on Public Housing and was a deputy majority leader. As chair of the Oversight and Investigations Committee, he focused on issues such as predatory lending related to taxi medallion procurement and the city's Third Party Transfer Program. In 2019, Torres announced his candidacy for Congress to succeed Representative José E. Serrano. He won the November 2020 election and took office in January 2021, becoming one of the first openly gay Black men elected to Congress, and the first openly gay Afro-Latino to serve. In Congress, Torres served as a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, also known as the LGBTQ+ Caucus, and as a co-chair of the Congressional Albanian Issues Caucus during the 117th Congress. He is recognized for his pro-Israel advocacy, a stance that has drawn criticism from some progressives who oppose Israel's conduct in the Gaza war.