Equipped with a background in climate activism and social work, Illapa Sairitupac took a look around his neighborhood on the Lower East Side and decided to take his own shot at making a difference in the community.
Sairitupac, an out gay and non-binary child of Peruvian immigrants, unveiled a progressive political platform and first sought to run for State Senate by challenging incumbent State Senator Brian Kavanaugh. Sairitupac felt he was “not doing enough” when it came to issues like parole justice and good cause eviction. Soon enough, though, Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou launched her own campaign for State Senate in the same district, prompting Illapa Sairitupac to shift gears and mount a bid for the overlapping Assembly District 65 because that district includes parts of the same State Senate district.
