NY State Assembly · District 65
Illapa Sairitupac
CandidateD
- Race
- NY State Assembly · District 65
- Result
- Illapa Sairitupac, projected winner
- Opponent
- Helen Qiu (R)
- Research
- In depth
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did6 statements · 0 votes
I will fight for a fairer, more progressive income tax system and to implement a state heirs tax so that the very rich are contributing their fair share towards making New York affordable and equitable.
Raise taxes on high earners or corporations
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotNY State Assembly · 65
2026-11-03
| Illapa Sairitupac D | challenger |
| Helen Qiu R | challenger |
Won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary with 36.5% of the vote.
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
I will fight for a fairer, more progressive income tax system and to implement a state heirs tax so that the very rich are contributing their fair share towards making New York affordable and equitable.
Supports a more progressive state income tax and a new state heirs tax on large inheritances.[5]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Supports rent-stabilization protections and the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, and has organized tenant associations against displacement.
Documented position[5]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
I'll fight to pass legislation like the New York for All Act, which bars state and local governments from colluding with ICE.
Opposes cooperation between state/local government and ICE and supports the New York for All Act; has led Know Your Rights trainings and anti-ICE organizing.[5]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
In Albany I'll continue to fight for the New York Health act, which would guarantee healthcare to all New Yorkers, regardless of income, immigration status or ability to pay.
Supports universal healthcare and has advocated for the New York Health Act, which would guarantee coverage regardless of income or immigration status.[5]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Lists universal childcare among the causes he organizes for and would pursue in office.
Documented position[5]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Supports a faster transition to renewable energy, citing New York's low share of wind and solar power and his own organizing and arrest in support of the Build Public Renewables Act.
Documented position[5]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Illapa Sairitupac won the election for the open Assembly District 65 seat on November 3, 2026, as the Democratic nominee. A social worker and tenant organizer from Manhattan's Lower East Side, he is the son of Peruvian immigrants and holds a Master of Social Work from NYU; he previously ran for this seat in 2022.[1][2][3][4]
According to his 2026 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, Sairitupac is the son of Peruvian immigrants and has lived on the Lower East Side for almost 14 years.[3] He holds a Master of Social Work from NYU and previously worked as a mental healthcare worker.[3] He describes himself as a local tenant organizer and an organizer with the This Land is Ours Community Land Trust, which advocates for community land trusts in Lower Manhattan, and says he has led Know Your Rights trainings and built local networks against ICE.[3]
In his 2022 survey, Sairitupac described himself as a social worker and climate organizer, said he volunteered on the 2021 Tax the Rich campaign, and said he was arrested in 2021 while protesting in support of the Build Public Renewables Act.[3] He ran for the Democratic nomination for this Assembly seat in 2022, initially considering a State Senate challenge to Brian Kavanagh before shifting to the Assembly race; endorsed by NYC-DSA and the Working Families Party, he lost the June 28, 2022 primary to Grace Lee, 48.6% to 34.5%.[3][4][6] He later served as co-chair of candidate recruitment for NYC-DSA until he resigned that position to run for the Assembly again in 2026, according to City & State.[4]
Sairitupac won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary for the open seat with 36.5% of the vote in a six-candidate field, ahead of Jasmin Sanchez (17.6%); Grace Lee, the incumbent, ran for State Senate instead of seeking re-election.[3][4] During the campaign, he emphasized taxing high earners, expanding affordable and social housing, and opposing ICE enforcement in New York.[3][4] He won the November 3, 2026 general election over Helen Qiu, according to unofficial results from the NYC Board of Elections.[1][2]
In their own words
Priorities
- Taxing the wealthiest New Yorkers more, including a fairer progressive income tax and a state heirs tax, to fund housing, healthcare and childcare.[5]
- Housing as a human right: a state Social Housing Development Authority, rent-stabilization protections, and the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act.[5]
- Getting ICE 'out of New York,' including passing the New York for All Act to bar state and local government cooperation with ICE.[5]
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/illapa-sairitupac
Compare all 2 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.2026 New York State Assembly election · Wikipedia · 2026-11-09 Reference
- 2.New York State Assembly election results 2026 (unofficial election night results) · NYC Board of Elections · 2026-11-03 Official record
- 3.Illapa Sairitupac · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
- 4.Illapa Sairitupac preps second run for lower Manhattan Assembly seat · City & State New York · 2026-02-23 News report
- 5.Illapa Sairitupac · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
- 6.Illapa Sairitupac looks to carry activism background to Albany · Politics NY (excerpt of Gay City News) · 2022-06-21 News report