#AOC-backed insurgent topples longtime Brooklyn Assemblyman Felix Ortiz

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Assemblyman Felix Ortiz
Stefan Jeremiah for New York Post

Another insurgent backed by far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has toppled an entrenched Democrat in Brooklyn.

Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, first elected in 1994, conceded the Democratic Primary race Thursday to challenger Marcela Mitaynes, who was also backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party.

The heavily-Hispanic 51st Assembly District takes in Red Hook and Sunset Park and parts of Borough Park.

Mitaynes victory is further proof that AOC’s socialist-leaning squad is growing.

At the federal level, she backed insurgent Jamaal Bowman, who has unofficially defeated veteran Rep. Eliot Engel, and Mondaire Jones, who won the open Westchester congressional seat to replace the retiring Rep. Nita Lowey.

It’s also another notch on the belt for the DSA, which fueled state Sen. Julia Salazar’s victory over longtime incumbent Martin Dilan in 2018 as well as AOC’s victory over ex-Congressman Joe Crowley two years ago

Working Families Party state director Sochie Nnaemeka also took a victory lap.

“As a mother, a formerly undocumented immigrant, and a longtime resident of Sunset Park, Marcela built a powerful campaign around her real-world experiences,” Naemeka said.

“Marcela comes from a movement focused on bringing transformational change to government, and the Working Families Party was proud to support her campaign to lift up working families, immigrants and communities of color.”

Ortiz, 60, the assistant Assembly speaker, told The Post he was the victim a changing district populated with more younger voters.

“I think that this is part of the gentrification that is happening in different communities and districts. I’m very proud of my record and how I ran my campaign,” he said.

He said he has no regrets.

“From my perspective I think I ran a clean campaign and never attacked. I hope that they learn that attacking people and trying to bully people is not the way that we do public policy and how we govern, but this is different times that we live in.

“I wouldn’t have done anything differently and if there’s anything I should have done differently, I might have to ask God to tell me what I have to do differently. I will not be going away because I live in the community.”