State Assembly Member - District 68
Diana I. Ayala
Democratic and Working Families nominee for the 68th Assembly District in East Harlem.
Issues Diana is raising
Affordable housing and public housing
Supports a modernized, statewide Mitchell-Lama 2.0 program that would use updated financing tools, the state's bonding authority, and partnerships with nonprofit and public developers to guarantee long-term housing affordability.
Homelessness, shelters and rental vouchers
Says she wrote the City Council bill that ended the requirement to enter a shelter before qualifying for a rental assistance voucher, and sponsored a 2019 bill requiring the city to inform voucher applicants of their rights and of protections against source-of-income discrimination.
State and local cooperation with immigration enforcement
Supports the New York for All Act, which would bar state and local agencies from questioning or disclosing people's immigration status or cooperating with federal deportation efforts; the Access to Representation Act, for a right to a lawyer in deportation proceedings; and the BUILD Act's grants for groups providing that representation.
Schools, child care and public colleges
Wants the state to fully fund public schools and reduce class sizes, expand universal child care with more funding, and strengthen CUNY and SUNY while expanding financial aid.
Wages and union rights
Wants to defend prevailing wage laws, strengthen worker protections and protect the right to organize.
Background
Based in East Harlem
A former two-term New York City Council member for District 8, which covers East Harlem and parts of the South Bronx, she was the Council's deputy speaker from 2022 through 2025 and chaired its General Welfare Committee. She won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary over Assembly Member Eddie Gibbs.
- Born Sept. 24, 1973, in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico; moved to New York City with her family as a child
- Associate degree in human services from Bronx Community College; bachelor's degree in sociology from Lehman College, 2000
- Caseworker at Corsi Houses and program director at Carver Senior Center
- Senior center director in East Harlem for seven years
- Deputy chief of staff and constituent services director for City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, a former Council speaker, before running to succeed her on the Council
- New York City Council member for District 8, 2018 through 2025
- Council deputy speaker, January 2022 through December 2025, under Speaker Adrienne Adams
- Chaired the Council's General Welfare Committee and its Mental Health, Disabilities and Addictions Committee
- Briefly ran for speaker of the City Council
- Filed in February 2026 to challenge Assembly Member Eddie Gibbs for this seat
- Won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary over Eddie Gibbs, Tamika Mapp and William Smith with about 52 percent of the vote
- Advanced on the Working Families Party line without appearing on a ballot after that party's June 23, 2026 primary for the seat was canceled
- Lives in East Harlem with her partner; has four children and three grandchildren
Support
Gale Brewer
New York City Council Member
Sandy Nurse
New York City Council Member
Lincoln Restler
New York City Council Member
Jen Gutiérrez
New York City Council Member
Alexa Avilés
New York City Council Member
Money
$72K
raised
Top donors: TWU Local 100 Political Contributions Co, 144 Development LLC, Nicholas Lettire