Pro-Israel House Dem draws leftist primary challenge

Former New York State Assembly member Michael Blake has mounted a bid to unseat pro-Israel Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres in New York's 15th Congressional District.

"I am running for Congress because the people of The Bronx deserve better than Ritchie Torres," Blake, a former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, declared in social media posts.

"I am ready to fight for you and lower your cost of living while Ritchie fights for a Genocide. I will focus on Affordable Housing and Books as Ritchie will only focus on AIPAC and Bibi. I will invest in the community. Ritchie invests in Bombs. I want to end credit scores for housing. Ritchie only wants to take credit," Blake said.

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In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, a Torres spokesperson asserted that Blake would lose the primary.

"Michael Blake is not interested in the Bronx; he's only interested in using it to run for office for the fifth time, and the result will be the same as before: another loss," Torres' communications director Benny Stanislawski declared in the statement.

"There's a reason Bronx voters trust Ritchie Torres. He's been their champion in Congress, laser-focused on issues like public housing and affordability while standing up to Donald Trump. That's why he's going to win again next year," the statement added.

In a post on X last year, Torres called himself a "pragmatic progressive."

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Blake's campaign site describes him as a "consistent progressive."

Torres has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2021.

In a 2020 Democratic House primary, Blake was the runner-up behind Torres, who went on to win in the general election later that year.

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Blake unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic New York City mayoral primary earlier this year.