Many Latino politicians are on the upswing in New York. In the scramble to challenge New York City Mayor Eric Adams, state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie are credible rivals who could catch on with voters. At the start of the year, New York City Council Member Amanda Farías was elevated to majority leader, making her an early contender for council speaker. And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is translating her celebrity into institutional heft, as exemplified by her primetime speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Yet Latinos have been here before, often without breaking through. In 2020, Ruben Diaz Jr., perhaps the most viable mayoral hopeful since Freddy Ferrer, left for the private sector. Hector LaSalle would’ve been the first Latino to lead the state’s highest court, but was felled by a coalition of union organizers and activists. Meanwhile, New York City’s first Hispanic police commissioner, Edward Caban, just stepped down in disgrace amid several investigations into the Adams administration.

City & State’s Power of Diversity: Latino 100, produced in partnership with journalist Felipe De La Hoz, tracks the trajectories of the most influential Latino leaders in New York politics and government.

Latinos have long been taken for granted by the Democratic Party, but that approach hasn’t been working so well lately. Walter Mejia has been trying to capitalize on the trend in New York. Within state government, the Salvadoran immigrant runs the Assembly Republicans’ new Office of Community Affairs, with a focus on the Latino community. Mejia also founded and leads New York Republican Latinos, which aims to expand conservative Republican Latino representation in government.