Marcela Mitaynes


Marcela Mitaynes is a Peruvian-American politician and tenant organizer. She is the Democratic nominee for the 51st district of the New York State Assembly. Mitaynes is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Early life and education

After spending her early life in the Department of Puno, Peru, Mitaynes moved to New York City as a child and was raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Mitaynes has an A.S. in Accounting from CUNY Kingsborough Community College.

Electoral history

Mitaynes ran for elected office for the first time in the June 23, 2020 Democratic primary for the 51st district of the New York State Assembly. On election night, she trailed longtime incumbent Félix Ortiz by 464 votes. After absentee ballots had been counted, Mitaynes led Ortiz by 240 votes, and on July 16, 2020, Ortiz conceded defeat to Mitaynes. Given that the district skews heavily Democratic, Mitaynes is considered the presumptive Assemblywoman-elect ahead of the November 3, 2020 general election.
During the campaign, Mitaynes was endorsed by the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, the Sunrise Movement, the Working Families Party, State Senator Julia Salazar, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and actress and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon.