He's gay. His main opponent makes homophobic remarks.

Mr. Torres asked Mr. Díaz to apologize and withdraw from the chair of the Rental Vehicle Committee. Prior to the dissolution of the committee, Mr. Torres delivered a speech to the badembly condemning Mr. Díaz. He explained how he had thoughts of suicide related to depression and struggled against his identity as a young man.

Then he and Carlos Menchaca, an openly gay Brooklyn advisor, kissed each other.

"For an elected student to attack the quality and dignity of L.G.B.T. people send a message to young people who are considering suicide while fighting for their identity, "said Mr. Torres.

Mr. Díaz said that his views on homobaduality were based on his religion and that voters in the 15th Congressional District, one of the poorest in the country, Hispanic and Black majority, the only one in the world. accepted. Mr. Díaz calls himself a "conservative democrat" and recently described as "contrary" the representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the popular democratic socialist.

"My family is full of gays," he said. "I do not believe in gay marriage but that does not mean I hate people."

This is the kind of comment that makes this race in Congress urgent, according to the Equality CAP, which supports L.G.B.T.Q. candidates in federal elections and also approved Mr. Torres.

"What makes this race so important is that it is about to become a clash between Ritchie Torres and Rubén Díaz, someone who has demonized the game L.G.B.T.Q. said in an interview with David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat and Co-Chair of Equality PAC.

The outside attention is already bearing fruit. Mr. Torres estimates that he has already raised more than $ 500,000. In a fundraising email last week, Díaz said he raised $ 80,000.