# Juan Ardila

Juan Ardila is an American politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly for the 37th district for one term. Elected in 2022.

## Early life and education

Born in Elmhurst, Ardila was raised in Maspeth, Queens. After graduating from Archbishop Molloy High School, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Fordham University and a Master of Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University.

## Career

From 2015 to 2017, Ardila served as the office manager and scheduler for City Councilman Brad Lander. He was also a youth tutor for the International Rescue Committee. From 2017 to 2019, he served as an expansion consultant for the New York City Department of Education. In 2019, he joined the Legal Aid Society as a program coordinator.

### 2021 New York City Council campaign

Ardila ran for New York City Council in the 30th district in 2021. He ran on a progressive platform and sought to represent the district's growing Latino population, earning him endorsements from Queens elected officials including Mike Gianaris, Jessica Ramos, Donovan Richards, Jimmy Van Bramer, and the Working Families Party. In April 2021, the New York Post published an article chronicling numerous homophobic and racist derogatory comments and slurs made by Ardila on Facebook while in high school from 2009 to 2011. Ardila apologized the next day and said he regretted making the comments.
He was defeated by incumbent Robert Holden, a conservative Democrat who originally won on the Republican ballot line, in the primary with 45% of the vote.

## New York State Assembly

Ardila was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2022.
In March 2023, Ardila was accused of sexual assault by two women and there were calls for Ardila to resign, including from Governor Kathy Hochul. According to some articles these allegations were false and then eventually settled.
In 2024, Ardila placed third in the Democratic primary with 9.7% of the vote, placing behind Claire Valdez and Johanna Carmona.

## Electoral history
### 2024

2024 New York State Assembly election, District 37 :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Claire Valdez | 4,075 | 58.6 |
| | Democratic | Johanna Carmona | 2,179 | 31.3 |
| | Democratic | Juan Ardila (incumbent) | 675 | 9.7 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 21 | 0.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 6,951 | |

### 2022

2022 New York State Assembly election, District 37 :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Juan Ardila | 3,549 | 43.8 |
| | Democratic | Brent O'Leary | 2,105 | 26.0 |
| | Democratic | Johanna Carmona | 1,614 | 19.9 |
| | Democratic | Jim Magee | 821 | 10.1 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 18 | 0.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 8,107 | 100.0 |
| General election |||||
| | Democratic | Juan Ardila | 16,663 | |
| | Working Families | Juan Ardila | 5,551 | |
| | Total | Juan Ardila | 22,214 | 98.5 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 333 | 1.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,547 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2021

2021 New York City Council election, 30th District, Democratic Primary election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Robert Holden (incumbent) | 5,250 | 54.6 |
| | Democratic | Juan Ardila | 4,324 | 45 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 38 | 0.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 9,612 | 100.0 |