Councilman Ritchie Torres broke out to an early lead Tuesday night time in the hotly contested fight for an open Bronx congressional seat, as the openly gay city lawmaker appeared to change absent a challenge from a single of New York’s most substantial-profile conservative politicians.

Torres led the crowded subject to substitute retiring Rep. Jose Serrano (D-Bronx) with 30 % of the votes cast all through early voting and Major Day, in accordance to returns from 61 per cent of precincts.

Assemblyman Michael Blake (D-The Bronx) was in next position with 18 % of the vote, just after scoring a slew of superior-profile endorsements from black leaders which includes the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC).

Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr., a conservative firebrand and minister best regarded for building homophobic statements, trailed in third place with just 15 % of the vote.

Previous Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverto experienced notched just 4 %.

However, it will keep on being unclear who actually won the contest for at the very least a further 7 days as most New Yorkers opted for absentee ballots to avoid lines at the polls and achievable exposure to COVID-19.

Below point out legislation, the city’s Board of Elections will not commence to tally the absentee ballots for a further 7 days. Citywide, it appeared that approximately two-thirds of the vote was solid by mail.

Serrano had represented New York’s 14th Congressional District — which addresses the south and central Bronx and involves some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods — considering the fact that 1990. Final 12 months, he unveiled he was suffering from Parkinson’s Condition and announced he would retire, ending his three-decade-extended tenure in Washington D.C.

One particular city lawmaker, Councilman Ritchie Torres (D-The Bronx) was currently eyeing the seat when Serrano announced his departure. Diaz Sr., who is also the father of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., jumped in also.

That kicked off a intense principal race to depict one particular of the most greatly Democratic districts in Congress that highlighted one of the city’s most outstanding LGBT lawmakers and a single of its most vocal social conservatives.

Liberal activists mounted a campaign versus Diaz Sr., nervous he could slip as a result of the factious area and into Congress.

“We have a regarded homophobe who is operating for Congress who does not symbolize the values of New York voters. He has a heritage of anti-LGBT rhetoric and votes,” mentioned Alphonso David, a previous leading aide and lawful counsel to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as very well as the president of one particular of the nation’s major LGBT groups, the Human Rights Campaign.