Election 2020: Struggling South Bronx Choosing Between Torres, Delices For Congress
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The race for the 15th Congressional District pits a well known councilman against a Republican trying to beat the odds.
The Bronx as a whole has been among the hardest hit when it comes to the economic and healthcare crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
While the presidential race has motivated large voter turnout, voters in the South Bronx could make history in their congressional race, CBS2’s Aundrea Cline-Thomas reported Tuesday.
With each vote, residents of the South Bronx are hoping to get the help they need.
“Congress, I think they should pass more laws to help us in terms with taxes, laws that can help us in terms of prison reform,” voter Ariel Tejada said.
“How do you provide for child care. They don’t feel like they have to struggle so much to make ends meet,” another voter said.
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This community has be disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, concerns Patrick Delices and Councilman Ritchie Torres are vying to address in Congress.
“There’s a lot of garbage pile up in the parks in the Bronx,” Delices said. “The homeless issue in the Bronx is on the rise. Drug addiction is on the rise.”
“The unemployment rate in the South Bronx could be as high as 25%, which is comparable to the joblessness of The Great Depression. So, the challenges are very real. Where there are challenges there are real opportunities,” Torres said.
Latest Results: 15th Congressional District 2020: Patrick Delices (R) vs. Ritchie Torres (D)
The 15th Congressional District has been a Democratic stronghold for decades. Delices is running as a conservative and has never held public office.
“I’m a rational Republican and I’m a compassionate conservative. I’m a Republican in the tradition of Frederick Douglass,” Delices said.
Meanwhile, Torres, who served on City Council for seven years, beat a dozen Democratic challengers to win the primary, touting policies like expanding housing vouchers and child tax credits.
“My focus is make housing more affordable, put people back to work and put income in the pockets of people who need it,” Torres said.
“The South Bronx is the home of hip hop and hip hop has a lot of prominent celebrities. Getting these celebrities involved, bringing them back home, like JLo,” Delices said.
Delices is battling to get name recognition, while Torres continues to try and break new ground — first as the youngest member of the City Council and now vying to become the first Afro-Latino openly gay member of Congress.
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Torres is favored to win, but whoever represents the district won’t have much time to celebrate. This is one of the lowest income districts in the country.
Residents say there is a lot of work to do.
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November 04, 2020 at 05:58AM
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