Photos by Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0 and Morgan Fischer
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Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a response from state Sen. Analise Ortiz.
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Thanks to their efforts fighting the Trump administration on both a local and national level, two Phoenix politicians were named among the country’s “25 Young(ish) New Democrats to Watch” by New York Magazine.
The outlet recognized Rep. Yassamin Ansari and state Sen. Analise Ortiz for their fights against the administration’s immigration policies and, in Ansari’s case, her commitment to combating climate change.
Ansari, who also earned Phoenix New Times’ title of Best Democrat of 2025, traveled to El Salvador to pressure the Trump administration into bringing home Kilmar Ábrego García, who was illegally deported to a notorious foreign prison in March. New York Magazine also highlighted her push for climate change initiatives during her time on the Phoenix City Council. The 33-year-old Ansari was recognized along with 28-year-old Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost; the two are the youngest members of Congress.
On a list that included mostly national lawmakers and big-city mayors, the 32-year-old Ortiz was recognized for alerting her constituents about Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids on social media. Republicans are trying to expel Ortiz from the legislature for sharing the alerts, though reporting on the public activity of police is clearly protected by the First Amendment.
“They don’t like seeing powerful young brown leaders,” Ortiz told the magazine.
Ortiz was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2022 and won a seat in the Arizona Senate in 2024. A former journalist, she has built a sizable online following, with more than 60,000 followers on TikTok, where she breaks down legislative news and shares her experiences at the Arizona Capitol. In September, she posted a series documenting a week spent getting around Phoenix without a car.
“She tries to position herself between the attack and her constituents,” one political operative told New York Magazine. “That’s what really makes her different.”
Over the weekend, Ansari and Ortiz teamed up to provide constituents with resources after SNAP benefits went unpaid.
“I just hope the Democratic Party establishment is paying attention that the vast majority of voters are fed up with politicians who play it safe, and now is the time to push for progressive and bold leadership,” Ortiz told New Times, “and I’m looking forward to continuing to do that work in state of Arizona.”
New York Magazine’s list was built by professionals who recruit and support candidates to identify the Democratic Party’s next generation. They talked to campaign consultants and some journalists to finalize the list. The magazine said the list is meant to give readers a look into “the themes (they) will see in the coming elections but (also) in the years ahead.”
Also featured on the list were Texas Rep. Greg Casar, Florida lawmaker and Orlando mayoral candidate Anna Eskamani and Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr.