Diana Moreno
American politician (born 1987)
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Diana C. Moreno (born August 26, 1987) is an American politician who is a member of the New York State Assembly for the 36th district.[1] She succeeded Zohran Mamdani, who became Mayor of New York City. She was sworn in the day after winning the special election, on February 4, 2026.
affiliations
Diana Moreno | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 36th district | |
| Assumed office February 4, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Zohran Mamdani |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 26, 1987 |
| Party | Democratic |
Other political affiliations | |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Florida (BA, MA) |
| Website | dianaforqueens |
Early life and career
Moreno was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador, and her family immigrated to Lakeland, Florida, in 1999 when she was eleven years old.[2][3] Moreno earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 2011 and a Master of Arts in Latino studies in 2016 from the University of Florida.[2] She then worked as assistant director of multicultural and diversity affairs at the school.[4] In 2019, she moved to Queens to work for the New Immigrant Community Empowerment, where she worked until 2023.[5] She then worked as communications manager for the New York State Nurses Association until leaving in October 2025 to focus on her Assembly campaign.[6]
Moreno served as co-chair of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America’s (NYC-DSA) Queens branch from 2021 to 2023 and as the organization's communications coordinator from 2023 to 2024. She has volunteered on the campaigns of numerous democratic socialist candidates in Queens, including: State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assemblymembers Zohran Mamdani and Claire Valdez, and Councilmember Tiffany Cabán.[6]
New York State Assembly
In October 2025, Moreno announced her campaign for a potential special election to the New York State Assembly in the 36th district if incumbent Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani was elected in the 2025 New York City mayoral election.[6] After his victory, she received the NYC-DSA and Mamdani's endorsement, then was nominated by both the Queens Democratic Party and the New York Working Families Party.[7][8] Mary Jobaida and Rana Abdelhamid also sought the Democratic nomination but lost to Moreno, with Jobaida applying unsuccessfully for endorsement by NYC-DSA. Both candidates ran as independents against Moreno in the special election.[9] The Associated Press declared Moreno the winner on election night.[1]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Diana Moreno | 3,389 | 38.80% | |
| Working Families | Diana Moreno | 3,083 | 35.31% | |
| Total | Diana Moreno | 6,472 | 74.11% | |
| Queens For All | Rana Abdelhamid | 1,491 | 17.07% | |
| People First | Mary Jobaida | 665 | 7.61% | |
| Write-in | 106 | 1.21% | ||
| Total votes | 8,734 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Personal life
Moreno resides in Astoria, Queens, with her partner. They have one son.[5] She is queer.[3]
Notes
- Elected on both Democratic and WFP ballot lines in New York via electoral fusion.