Claire Marie Valdez (born October 12, 1989) is an American politician who has served as a member of the New York State Assembly for the 37th district since 2025, representing part of the Borough of Queens. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, she is the Democratic nominee for New York's 7th congressional district in the 2026 election.
Early life and education Originally from Lubbock, Texas, Valdez moved to New York City in 2015 and lives in Ridgewood, Queens. She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and Socialist Majority Caucus. She is "a dual citizen of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation and the United States."
Valdez received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, studying painting and art history. She worked a series of service jobs, including at Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Trader Joe's, before moving to New York City to pursue a career in art.
Early career After graduating from college, Valdez worked as a program assistant in the visual arts department at Columbia University before beginning her term as an assembly member. While working at Columbia, she became an active member of United Auto Workers Local 2110 and was elected unit chair in the local.
In 2019, Valdez joined the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and went on to serve as the New Member Coordinator. She has worked on many of the chapter's electoral projects, including Julia Salazar's 2020 reelection and Samy Olivares's 2022 campaign for New York State Assembly.
New York State Assembly In the 2024 New York State Assembly election, Valdez was a candidate in the 37th district. The incumbent, Juan Ardila, was seen as vulnerable to a primary challenge after two women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct. In the Democratic Party primary, Valdez defeated Ardila by 48 percentage points and moderate Johanna Carmona by 27 percentage points. She was endorsed by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democratic Socialists of America, and the Working Families Party. She ran unopposed in the November general election.
After launching her assembly campaign in 2023, Valdez called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Upon her election, she joined New York State Socialists in Office. She was arrested during a 2025 demonstration outside the offices of U.S. senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, protesting their votes against a resolution halting U.S. sales of arms to Israel. She has sponsored the Not On Our Dime Act, first introduced by Zohran Mamdani during his term in the assembly. The pro-Israel Solidarity PAC spent over $40,000 to oppose her 2024 candidacy for New York State Assembly.
Valdez is a sponsor of New York For All, which bars the use of state and local resources in federal immigration enforcement actions. On September 28, 2025, she was arrested while inspecting the facilities at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.
Amid the investigations into Mayor of New York City Eric Adams, Valdez publicly called for his resignation. She endorsed Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 New York City mayoral election. She was among the early supporters of his campaign and the only elected official present at his October 2024 campaign launch.
2026 congressional campaign
On January 8, 2026, Valdez announced her candidacy for New York's 7th congressional district to succeed retiring incumbent Nydia Velázquez. In the primary, she faced Brooklyn borough president Antonio Reynoso and New York City Councilor Julie Won. The race was seen as a fight between progressives, who largely backed Reynoso, and socialists, who backed Valdez. Valdez was endorsed by New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, Senator Bernie Sanders, NYC-DSA, Justice Democrats, and the United Auto Workers. Reynoso received the support of Velázquez and the Working Families Party and received the majority of labor union endorsements.
Valdez, along with fellow Mamdani-endorsed congressional candidates Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier, received outside support from the pro-Palestine super PAC American Priorities, which was created to counter the influence of AIPAC. AIPAC did not directly involve itself in the campaign.
On May 14, Valdez's campaign ratified a union contract under the Campaign Workers Guild, becoming the first campaign in New York to unionize during the 2026 election cycle.
On June 23, Valdez defeated Reynoso and Won. She is expected to win the general election, as New York's 7th district is considered a safe seat with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+25.
Political positions
Environment As a State Assembly member, Valdez was the primary sponsor of legislation to create a state office to coordinate environmental sustainability policies at the State University of New York.
In January 2026, Valdez and then-Assembly candidate Diana Moreno wrote an op-ed calling for a $200 million commitment to public renewable energy in the 2026 state budget.
Foreign policy
Iran Valdez strongly opposes the 2026 Iran war. In March 2026 she said that US intervention would cause "mass chaos and destruction" and criticized congressional Democratic leaders for their rhetorical choices about the war, saying: "The emphasis on procedure and expecting the Trump administration to provide some evidence or rationale that supports this war is an abdication of our responsibility to say that we don't want another endless war". She also said, "The Iranian regime, the crushing of dissent in their own country, is of course awful, but military intervention from the U.S. is not going to solve that problem."
Israel and Palestine During her State Assembly campaign, Valdez advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza and was a vocal supporter of justice in Palestine. As an Assembly member, she sponsored the Not On Our Dime Act, which would prohibit New York nonprofits from supporting Israeli settlement activity. During her Congressional campaign, Valdez was a strong critic of Israel, calling its actions in Gaza a genocide and apartheid and supporting the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he came to New York.
Housing Valdez has advocated policies including universal rent control, construction of social housing, and stronger tenant protections. To enact rent control, she has supported helping states build county-level rent boards to set rents.
In the State Assembly, Valdez co-sponsored a bill to build and finance the construction of new social housing. She supports the Homes Act, which would establish a federally backed development authority to build affordable public housing capped at 25% of a household's adjusted gross income.
Labor Valdez has advocated for significant labor law reform, including ending at-will employment, a federal job guarantee, and a four-day workweek. She has also expressed strong supports for unions, saying, "We're going to prioritize rebuilding the labor movement and getting every single worker into a union. And that's going to be priority number one for me when I'm in office."
Valdez supports the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which would expand employees' rights to organize and collectively bargain.
Healthcare Valdez supports Medicare for All and transitioning to a single-payer healthcare system.
Nationalizing US airlines Valdez supports abolishing TSA PreCheck and nationalizing US airlines. On the "Bitchuation Room" podcast, she said the "airline industry is making a lot of money, and constantly undermining consumer rights, nickel-and-diming us in every single facet of having to fly someplace. And in a country where there's no robust national rail system, all we have are—it's planes or nothing if you want to get from one side of the country to the other. And so we're forced into these, like, super uncomfortable seats, we have very few rights, airline industry overbook flights. There are all kinds of ways that they're making the maximum profit at our discomfort, inconvenience, and great expense."
Social issues Immigration Valdez has called for abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, naming it as one of her day-one legislative priorities in Congress.
LGBTQ rights Valdez is a proponent of LGBTQ rights. She supports transgender rights, including funding for gender-affirming care and the adoption of a Transgender Bill of Rights to provide anti-discrimination protection based on gender identity.
Electoral history
2024
2026
Notes
References
External links Campaign website YouTube