Ivan Torres

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Ivan Torres

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 7, 2022

Personal

Birthplace

San Jose, Calif.

Religion

Spiritual

Ivan Torres ran for election to the San Jose City Council to represent District 3 in California. He lost in the primary on June 7, 2022.

Biography

Torres was born in San Jose, California. His professional experience includes working at a pharmacy for Stanford Hospital. Torres has served as a Bernie Sanders organizer and volunteer and as a Sunrise Movement volunteer.

Elections

2022

See also: City elections in San Jose, California (2022)

General election

General election for San Jose City Council District 3

Omar Torres defeated Irene Smith in the general election for San Jose City Council District 3 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Omar Torres (Nonpartisan)	65.6	11,657
		Irene Smith (Nonpartisan)	34.4	6,107

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,764
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for San Jose City Council District 3

Omar Torres and Irene Smith defeated Joanna Rauh, Elizabeth Chien-Hale, and Ivan Torres in the primary for San Jose City Council District 3 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Omar Torres (Nonpartisan)	44.2	5,182
✔		Irene Smith (Nonpartisan)	19.9	2,340
	Submit photo	Joanna Rauh (Nonpartisan)	15.1	1,776
		Elizabeth Chien-Hale (Nonpartisan)	14.0	1,647
		Ivan Torres (Nonpartisan)	6.7	785

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,730
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: California's 19th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 19

Incumbent Zoe Lofgren defeated Justin Aguilera in the general election for U.S. House California District 19 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Zoe Lofgren (D)	71.7	224,385
		Justin Aguilera (R)	28.3	88,642

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 313,027
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 19

Incumbent Zoe Lofgren and Justin Aguilera defeated Ignacio Cruz, Ivan Torres, and Jason Mallory in the primary for U.S. House California District 19 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Zoe Lofgren (D)	62.7	104,456
✔		Justin Aguilera (R)	12.3	20,469
		Ignacio Cruz (R)	11.5	19,109
		Ivan Torres (D)	11.4	18,916
	Submit photo	Jason Mallory (Independent)	2.1	3,516

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 166,466
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Erik Estavillo (D)
• Abdullah Issaq (D)

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ivan Torres did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Ivan Torres completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Torres' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a proud working class Latino born and raised in San Jose. I work in Pharmacy for Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, and I'm a Progressive advocate fighting to change the future of this district!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Medicare for All
• Green New Deal
• Tuition-Free Public College/Trade school

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare, Climate Change, Education and Housing.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to various people. People like MLK, FDR, and Cesar Chavez. Pioneers and trailblazers who who against all odds fought for change and are examples of great courage.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Our Revolution by Bernie Sanders

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Moral Clarity, empathy and actually being able to relate to the struggles of everyday people.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I'm 100% people-funded. I don't accept corporate bribes and I put everyday people and communities first!

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To constantly have the best interest of the people they represent at heart and to never put their corporate donors before their community.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That no matter who you are or what type of situation you were born into everyone has the ability to cause change and to make an impact. Know within yourself that you are capable, be fearless and resilient.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

At 10 years old I was selected to give a speech at the opening of the Children's Discovery Museum. Speaking about the importance and significance of the museum and what it meant to underprivileged kids like myself.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at a movie theatre and served popcorn for 3 years.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Because of the underprivileged situation I was born into I struggled with the idea that I was just not deserving of opportunities or anything good in my life.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

It's a great opportunity and space to create and initiate legislation that can have a profound impact on the working class and marginalized communities.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I think its beneficial for representatives to have experience being vulnerable working class people themselves. Representatives are not elected to rule over the land, they are elected to serve the people!

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Aggressively addressing climate change, income inequality, homelessness and healthcare.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Labor, Health and Human Resources. Civil Rights and Human Rights.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

I do

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Every office should have term limits.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Not model myself after per se, as I believe in the importance of individuality. I would however be inspired by Bernie Sanders, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

This is true! I have heard so many stories that have had an impact on me. One of which involved a gentleman who saved up enough money to finally pay off most of his student loan debt. However his mom got sick and got behind on the mortgage and medical bills because of her poor health insurance. He stepped in to save her home and pay her medical bills. Which resulted in him once again being stuck with his crippling student loan debt and now he has no savings.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2022 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic