Assemblymember Juan Ardila, a western Queens Democrat whose time in office has been mired by two sexual assault allegations, is running for re-election despite being shunned by progressives and his electorate at large.
Ardila, who won the vacant Assembly District 37 seat in 2022 that covers Ridgewood, Sunnyside and portions of surrounding neighborhoods, was hit by scandal just three months after taking office when he was accused of sexually assaulting two women at a party in November 2015. Since the allegations surfaced, he has become a party pariah, with elected leaders such as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Gov. Kathy Hochul calling for him to step down.
