Michael Blake has made Torres’ fervent support for Israel during the brutal Israel-Hamas war a central part of his platform, an issue that deeply divides many Democrats.
Could a Republican election loss affect next year’s midterm elections?
Republicans suffered losses across the country in off-year elections. Do these results send a message about the Democratic Party? Here’s what we know.
Former Democratic National Committee Vice Chairman Michael Blake announced this month that he will challenge fellow Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres for the New York Congress seat representing the Bronx next year.
Mr. Blake, a former state lawmaker who once worked in the Obama administration, has built a platform on Mr. Torres’ fervent support for Israel during the brutal Israel-Hamas war, an issue that is deeply divided within the Democratic Party.
A two-minute campaign video posted to Blake’s social media accounts on November 5 shows social media users criticizing Torres for accepting funds from the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC and for being a vocal supporter of the Israeli government.
“I’m running for Congress because the people of the Bronx deserve better than Ritchie Torres,” Blake said in a social media video post. “While Richie is fighting for genocide, I am ready to fight for you and lower your cost of living. As Richie focuses only on AIPAC and Bibi, I will focus on affordable housing and books. I will invest in the community. Richie is investing in Bombs. I want to abolish credit scores for housing. Richie just wants to take the credit.”
Blake ran unsuccessfully for mayor of New York this year. He previously challenged Torres for New York’s 15th Congressional District seat, but lost in the June 2020 primary.
In a statement to Politico, Torres spokesman Benny Stanisławski responded to critical claims, saying Torres “has been fiercely focused on issues like public housing and housing affordability while standing up to Donald Trump.”
“Michael Blake has no interest in the Bronx,” Stanislawski said. “He is only interested in using it to run for a fifth time, and the result will be the same as before, he will lose again.”
Support for Israel and anger over military operations in Gaza since late 2023 have created one of the most pronounced rifts within the Democratic Party in recent years, with candidates mired up and down the vote in last year’s elections. Former Vice President Kamala Harris faced fierce criticism from the left of her party over the issue during her bid for the White House last year, and midterm campaign efforts in early 2026 suggest the issue will play a prominent role again in the election cycle.
In addition to New York’s Blake, Democratic congressional challengers in several districts across the country, including California, Michigan and Maine, have also made promises to reject pro-Israel lobbying central to their early campaign messages. Pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC and the United Democracy Project have spent millions of dollars on the 2024 Democratic campaign, often supporting more centrist-leaning pro-Israel candidates against left-wing challengers who take pro-Palestinian positions.
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address: kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml.
