Rachel Storch

Rachel Storch (born September 5, 1972) is an American politician who served in the Missouri House of Representatives from the 64th district from 2005 to 2011. She is Chief Operating Officer of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue and was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2025 New York City Council election for the Democratic nomination from the 4th district.

Early life and education Storch was born in Manhattan, New York City, and her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, when she was two years old. Her father, Gregory A. Storch, is currently a professor at the Washington University School of Medicine and previously was the director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at St. Louis Children's Hospital.

She graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts and the Washington University School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 1997.

Missouri House of Representatives She was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2004, then re-elected twice, representing the 64th district, which included the neighborhoods of St. Louis south of Forest Park, including Dogtown.

2025 New York City Council campaign In 2024, Storch announced her campaign for the 2025 New York City Council election in the 4th district, where incumbent Democrat Keith Powers is term-limited. Storch highlighted combatting antisemitism and pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University as inspiring her to run for office. She raised $454,000, nearly half the total raised in the race, after opting out of the New York City Campaign Finance Board's public matching funds program which imposes spending limits on candidates. She earned a first-choice endorsement from The Jewish Voice, benefited from spending from the New York Apartment Association, and— alongside Bondy and Maloney— garnered support from businessmen and megadonors Bill Ackman and Steven Roth.

Storch placed third behind Virginia Maloney and Vanessa Aronson in the initial first-round results of the June 24 primary in a tight race with 22.81% of the vote. She was eliminated in the fifth round of ranked choice tabulation on July 1st.

Personal life Storch married Barry Akrongold, a real estate investor, in 2010; the couple moved to New York City soon after and have four children. She is Jewish.