New York's 15th Congressional District

New York's 15th Congressional District

Incumbent

Ritchie Torres

Assumed office: January 3, 2021

New York's 15th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives is represented by Ritchie Torres (D).

As of the 2020 Census, New York representatives represented an average of 777,529 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 719,298 residents.

Elections

2024

See also: New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2024

New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 25 Republican primary)

New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 25 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House New York District 15

Incumbent Ritchie Torres defeated Gonzalo Duran and Jose Vega in the general election for U.S. House New York District 15 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ritchie Torres (D)	76.2	130,392
		Gonzalo Duran (R / Conservative Party)	21.0	36,010
		Jose Vega (LaRouche Party)	2.4	4,086
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	607

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 171,095
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Ritchie Torres advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 15.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Gonzalo Duran advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 15.

Conservative Party primary election

The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Gonzalo Duran advanced from the Conservative Party primary for U.S. House New York District 15.

2022

See also: New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House New York District 15

Incumbent Ritchie Torres defeated Stylo A. Sapaskis in the general election for U.S. House New York District 15 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ritchie Torres (D)	82.7	76,406
		Stylo A. Sapaskis (R)	17.2	15,882
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	102

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 92,390
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Ritchie Torres advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 15.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Stylo A. Sapaskis advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 15.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Patrick Delices (R)

2020

See also: New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House New York District 15

Ritchie Torres defeated Patrick Delices in the general election for U.S. House New York District 15 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ritchie Torres (D)	88.7	169,533
		Patrick Delices (R / Conservative Party)	11.1	21,221
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	283

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 191,037
= 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.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Orlando Molina (R)
• Kenneth Schaeffer (Working Families Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 15

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 15 on June 23, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ritchie Torres	32.1	19,090
		Michael Blake	18.0	10,725
		Ruben Diaz	14.4	8,559
		Samelys Lopez	13.9	8,272
		Ydanis Rodriguez	10.6	6,291
		Melissa Mark-Viverito	4.3	2,561
		Tomas Ramos	2.4	1,442
		Chivona Newsome	2.3	1,366
		Marlene Tapper	0.7	392
		Julio Pabon	0.4	244
		Frangell Basora	0.3	189
	Submit photo	Mark Escoffery-Bey	0.3	153
	Submit photo	David Philip Franks Jr. (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	189

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 59,473
= 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.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Marlene Cintron (D)
• Jonathan Ortiz (D)
• Eric Stevenson (D)

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Orlando Molina advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 15.

Conservative Party primary election

The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Patrick Delices advanced from the Conservative Party primary for U.S. House New York District 15.

Working Families Party primary election

The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Kenneth Schaeffer advanced from the Working Families Party primary for U.S. House New York District 15.

2018

See also: New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House New York District 15

Incumbent José Serrano defeated Jason Gonzalez in the general election for U.S. House New York District 15 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		José Serrano (D)	96.0	124,469
	Submit photo	Jason Gonzalez (R)	4.0	5,205

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 129,674 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 15

Incumbent José Serrano advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 15 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		José Serrano

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 15

Jason Gonzalez advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 15 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Jason Gonzalez

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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.

2016

See also: New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Jose Serrano (D) defeated Alejandro Vega (R) and Eduardo Ramirez (Conservative) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Serrano defeated Leonel Baez in the Democratic primary on June 28, 2016.

U.S. House, New York District 15 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jose E. Serrano Incumbent	95.3%	165,688
	Republican	Alejandro Vega	3.5%	6,129
	Conservative	Eduardo Ramirez	1.2%	2,104
Total Votes				173,921
Source: New York Board of Elections

U.S. House, New York, District 15 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jose Serrano Incumbent	89.2%	9,334
Leonel Baez	10.8%	1,127
Total Votes		10,461
Source: New York State Board of Elections

2014

See also: New York's 15th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 15th Congressional District of New York held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Jose Serrano (D) defeated Eduardo Ramirez (Conservative) and William Edstrom (Green) in the general election.

U.S. House, New York District 15 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jose Serrano Incumbent	97.1%	54,906
	Conservative	Eduardo Ramirez	1.9%	1,047
	Green	William Edstrom	1%	568
	N/A	Write-in votes	0.1%	42
Total Votes				56,563
Source: New York State Board of Elections, NYS Board of Elections Rep. in Congress Election Returns November 4, 2014," accessed August 30, 2021

2012

See also: New York's 15th Congressional District elections, 2012

The 15th Congressional District of New York held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent from the 16th District, Jose E. Serrano won election in the district.

U.S. House, New York District 15 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jose E. Serrano Incumbent	97.2%	152,661
	Republican	Frank Della Valle	2.8%	4,427
	N/A	Write-in votes	0%	27
Total Votes				157,115
Source: New York State Board of Elections, "NYS Board of Elections Rep. in Congress Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012," accessed September 1, 2021

2010
On November 2, 2010, Charles Rangel won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Michael Faulkner (R), Craig Schley (Independence, Vote People Change) and Roger Calero (Socialist Worker) in the general election.

U.S. House, New York District 15 General Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles B. Rangel incumbent	80.2%	91,225
	Republican	Michel J. Faulkner	10.3%	11,754
	Independence, Vote People Change	Craig Schley	6.9%	7,803
	Socialist Worker	Roger Calero	2.3%	2,647
	N/A	Write-in votes	0.2%	257
Total Votes				113,686

2008
On November 4, 2008, Charles Rangel won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Edward Daniels (R), Craig Schley (Vote People Change) and Martin Koppel (Socialist Workers) in the general election.

U.S. House, New York District 15 General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Rangel incumbent	89.2%	177,151
	Republican	Edward Daniels	7.9%	15,676
	Vote People Change	Craig Schley	1.9%	3,708
	Socialist Workers	Martin Koppel	1.1%	2,141
	N/A	Write-in votes	0%	15
Total Votes				198,691

2006
On November 7, 2006, Charles Rangel won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Edward Daniels (R) in the general election.

U.S. House, New York District 15 General Election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Rangel incumbent	80.4%	103,916
	Republican	Edward Daniels	5.1%	6,592
	N/A	Blank/Void/Scattering	14.5%	18,681
Total Votes				129,189

2004
On November 2, 2004, Charles Rangel won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Kenneth Jefferson (R) and Jessie Fields (I) in the general election.

U.S. House, New York District 15 General Election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Rangel incumbent	73.8%	161,351
	Republican	Kenneth Jefferson	5.7%	12,355
	Independence	Jessie Fields	1.5%	3,345
	N/A	Blank/Void/Scattering	19%	41,557
Total Votes				218,608

2002
On November 5, 2002, Charles Rangel won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jesse Fields (R) in the general election.

U.S. House, New York District 15 General Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Rangel incumbent	66.2%	84,367
	Republican	Jessie Fields	8.6%	11,008
	N/A	Blank/Void/Scattering	25.1%	32,025
Total Votes				127,400

2000
On November 7, 2000, Charles Rangel won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jose Suero (R), Frank Della Valle (Conservative), Dean Loren (Green), Jessie Fields (Independence) and Scott Jeffrey (Libertarian) in the general election.

U.S. House, New York District 15 General Election, 2000
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Charles Rangel incumbent	74.1%	130,161
	Republican	Jose Suero	4.2%	7,346
	Green	Dean Loren	1.2%	2,134
	Independence	Jessie Fields	0.6%	1,051
	Conservative	Frank Della Valle	0.3%	492
	Libertarian	Scott Jeffrey	0.3%	480
	N/A	Blank/Void/Scattering	19.4%	34,062
Total Votes				175,726

Redistricting

2020-2024

See also: Redistricting in New York after the 2020 census

On February 28, 2024, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed a new congressional map into law. The state Assembly voted 115-35 to approve the map on February 27. The state Senate voted 45-18 to approve the map the same day.

According to Nicholas Fandos of The New York Times, "Although a pair of swing districts would become more Democratic, lawmakers in Albany left the partisan makeup of 24 of the state’s 26 districts largely intact. The middle-ground approach reflected a desire to avoid another protracted court fight like the one in New York that helped swing control of the House to Republicans in 2022, while still better positioning Democrats in key districts."

On December 12, 2023, the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, ruled in a 4-3 decision that the independent redistricting commission did not follow the state's congressional redistricting process and ordered the commission to reconvene and re-draw congressional district boundaries by February 28 for use in the 2024 elections. The court's majority opinion stated, "In 2014, the voters of New York amended our Constitution to provide that legislative districts be drawn by an Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC). The Constitution demands that process, not districts drawn by courts. Nevertheless, the IRC failed to discharge its constitutional duty. That dereliction is undisputed. The Appellate Division concluded that the IRC can be compelled to reconvene to fulfill that duty; we agree. There is no reason the Constitution should be disregarded."

How does redistricting in New York work? On March 14, 2012, the state legislature approved a constitutional amendment to establish new redistricting procedures beginning in 2020. The New York Constitution requires that two successive legislatures approve an amendment in order to qualify it for final approval by popular vote. The legislature approved the amendment a second time in 2013. On November 4, 2014, voters approved the amendment, the provisions of which were set to take effect during the 2020 redistricting cycle.

The 10-member commission comprises the following members:

1. Two members must be appointed by the temporary president of the New York State Senate.
2. Two members must be appointed by the speaker of the New York State Assembly.
3. Two members must be appointed by the minority leader of the New York State Senate.
4. Two members must be appointed by the minority leader of the New York State Assembly.
5. Two members must appointed by the aforementioned eight commissioners. These two appointees cannot have been enrolled in the top two major political parties in the state.

The legislature must approve the commission's plans by a simple up/down vote. The legislature must reject two separate sets of redistricting plans before it will be able to amend the commission's proposals. All districts will be required "to preserve minority rights, be equally populated, and consist of compact and contiguous territory." Further, state law will require that districts "not be drawn to discourage competition or to favor/disfavor candidates or parties." In prior redistricting cycles, authority for both congressional and state legislative redistricting was vested with the state legislature. An advisory commission participated in the process.

State law requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact. State legislative districts must also take into account the "historic and traditional significance of counties."

Below are the congressional maps in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for New York’s 2024 state legislative elections. The map on the right was in effect for New York’s 2024 state legislative elections. The map on the right was in effect for New York’s 2024 state legislative elections.

New York District 15
before 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

New York District 15
after 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

2010-2011

This is the 15th Congressional District of New York after the 2001 redistricting process.

See also: Redistricting in New York after the 2010 census

In 2011, the New York State Legislature re-drew the congressional districts based on updated population information from the 2010 census.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

2026

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+27. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 27 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made New York's 15th the 22nd most Democratic district nationally.

2024

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+35. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 35 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made New York's 15th the 11th most Democratic district nationally.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 85.0%-14.4%.

2022

Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+35. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 35 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made New York's 15th the 10th most Democratic district nationally.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 84.7% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 14.7%.

2018

Heading into the 2018 elections, based on results from the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+44. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 44 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made New York's 15th Congressional District the most Democratic nationally.

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.77. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.77 points toward that party.

See also

• Redistricting in New York
• New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2024
• New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2022
• New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2020
• New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2018

External links

• GovTrack District 15

Footnotes

[show]

New York's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

Chuck Schumer (D)

Representatives

District 1

Nicholas LaLota (R)

District 2

Andrew Garbarino (R)

District 3

Tom Suozzi (D)

District 4

Laura Gillen (D)

District 5

Gregory Meeks (D)

District 6

Grace Meng (D)

District 7

Nydia Velazquez (D)

District 8

Hakeem Jeffries (D)

District 9

Yvette Clarke (D)

District 10

Daniel Goldman (D)

District 11

Nicole Malliotakis (R)

District 12

Jerrold Nadler (D)

District 13

Adriano Espaillat (D)

District 14

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D)

District 15

Ritchie Torres (D)

District 16

George Latimer (D)

District 17

Michael Lawler (R)

District 18

Pat Ryan (D)

District 19

Josh Riley (D)

District 20

Paul Tonko (D)

District 21

Elise Stefanik (R)

District 22

John Mannion (D)

District 23

Nick Langworthy (R)

District 24

Claudia Tenney (R)

District 25

Joseph Morelle (D)

District 26

Tim Kennedy (D)

Democratic Party (21)

Republican Party (7)