Assemblymember Amanda Septimo (A.D. 84) announced that she has suspended her congressional campaign for the Democratic primary in New York’s 15th congressional district in light of a recent health diagnosis. As reported, the assemblymember, who broadly represents the South Bronx neighborhoods of Concourse, Port Morris, Mott Haven and Hunts Point, Melrose and Longwood, announced on Dec. 11, 2025, that she was the sixth candidate to challenge incumbent Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) for his seat.

 

Septimo said in an Instagram post dated Jan. 16 that she has been diagnosed with lupus. According to the Mayo Clinic, Lupus is a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs, otherwise known as an autoimmune condition. Experts say it causes swelling and irritation, inflammation, that may affect joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.

 

Singer and actress Selena Gomez has done much to raise awareness of the illness after she, too, disclosed that she had been diagnosed with the condition in recent years, and appears to be doing well.

 

Meanwhile, in her video post, which she also published separately in Spanish, the assemblymember said, “Hey Everyone, I am here to share an update. A few months ago, I started experiencing what I thought were very allergic reactions, where I would get hives. Sometimes, my face would swell, and I really didn’t know what was going on, but like too many of us do, I kept working, I ignored it. I kept living life, and as time went on, I noticed that the symptoms started to get worse, and I kept sort of ignoring them. But once I launched my congressional campaign, I knew it would be a really tough race, so I wanted to be healthy. I wanted to be feeling my best, so I decided to go to the doctor and sort it out.”

 

Septimo continued, “And I had mentioned, I assumed they were allergic reactions but after some tests, unfortunately, I was diagnosed with lupus. Now, I’m still learning a lot about this disease and it’s something that I don’t know very much about, but I do know that it requires a process to figure out effective treatment to get to a place of feeling healthy and being stable. So, because of this, after a lot of reflection and conversations with my friends and family, I’m making the very difficult decision to suspend my campaign for Congress.”

 

The assemblymember continued, “But I want to be clear that stepping back from this campaign is not a decision to step back from fighting for our community. I will continue serving in the State Assembly to fight for The Bronx that every single one of us deserves to live in.  Every single day, my focus will continue being on the real issues that our community is facing on a daily basis. That’s the high rent, the cost of food and utilities, access to good healthcare, making sure working families can actually afford to live in the neighborhoods that they’ve helped build and that they call home. This is the fight that I will continue and I will also continue to push for principled, strong leadership that is focused on our community at all levels of government.”

 

She added, “Right now, this moment is about prioritizing my health and moving forward with intention and strength. I’m so grateful for the outpouring of love, and prayers and support that I’ve already received from people that I’ve shared it with, and I ask for your continued grace as I continue to learn to navigate this new chapter. I want to thank you all for your trust, thank you for your solidarity, thank you for your love and your support throughout this race. I will continue to share more this journey as I learn, so thank you in advance for being on this ride with me, and I look forward to seeing you all out there in the fight to continue building The Bronx that I know we all deserve.”

 

Experts from the Mayo Clinic say lupus can be hard to diagnose because its symptoms are like those of other illnesses. They say a common sign is a facial rash that looks like butterfly wings across both cheeks, and the rash gets worse when in the sun. They say many but not all people with lupus get this rash, and some people are born more likely to be diagnosed with the condition. They say infections, certain medicines, or even sunlight can trigger lupus, for which there is currently no cure, but treatments can help manage symptoms.

 

As reported, Septimo rallied with now-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) in the Claremont section of The Bronx on Sept. 15, in support of Perrigo workers who were calling for fair working conditions. They subsequently reached an agreement with the pharmaceutical company. She had also joined Mamdani, Rivera and others at a press conference during which the United Bodegas of America endorsed the then-Democratic mayoral nominee. Read our previous story on her launch here.

As reported, other than Septimo, Torres is already being challenged for his seat in NY-15, one of the poorest congressional districts in America which stretches from the northwest of the borough to the South Bronx, by five other candidates some of whom launched their campaigns around the beginning of November 2025.

 

The Hon. Rev. Michael Blake, a former Bronx assemblyman in A.D. 79, which covers some or all of the Bronx neighborhoods of Claremont Village, Morrisania, Forest Houses, Crotona Park East, and Tremont and is currently represented by Assemblywoman Chantal Jackson, previously ran for Mayor of New York City, as reported, cross-endorsing Mamdani in the process. Blake announced Nov. 5 that he is running to unseat Torres.

 

Meanwhile, attorney and advocate, the Hon. Dalourny Nemorin is also challenging Torres in NY-15. A native of Miami, Nemorin is a 2014 graduate of CUNY Law School, an alum of the prestigious Obama Foundation’s Leaders Program, a Legal Aid attorney specializing in criminal court appeals, and a member of Bronx Community Board 1, where she is the policy committee chair. Read more here.

 

Meanwhile, Jon LaTona and Jose Vega also separately announced they are running in the Democratic Primary in NY-15, while Anthony Easton, an independent, is also aiming to win the seat.

 

As reported, Vega already ran for Congress in the 2024 general election, also for NY-15, on the LaRouche Party ticket and garnered 2.3% of the vote. Incumbent Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres won with around 76.2% of the vote, while Republican Party/Conservative Party candidate, Gonzalo Duran, garnered 21%.

 

On Jan. 16, Courtland W. Hankins III, a self-described organizer and tenant-ownership leader, announced his candidacy for the State Assembly in the 84th District, Septimo’s seat. We have since asked Septimo for comment on the announcement as in his press release, Courtlandt’s team wrote, “He is the first candidate to formally enter the AD-84 campaign, a seat left open by Amanda Septimo.” We will share any feedback we receive.

 

For more information, visit https://www.lupus.org/.