Claire Valdez
American politician (born 1989)
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Claire Valdez is an American politician serving as a member of the New York State Assembly representing the 37th District since 2025. A socialist who is a member of both the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and the Democratic Party, she represents part of the Borough of Queens.[1] She is currently running for the Democratic Party nomination for New York’s 7th congressional district seat in the United States House of Representatives.
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Claire Valdez | |
|---|---|
Valdez in 2025 | |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 37th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Ardila |
| New York State Socialists in Office | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 12, 1989 Lubbock, Texas, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
Other political affiliations | |
Early life
Originally from Lubbock, Texas, Valdez moved to New York City in 2015 and lives in Ridgewood, Queens.[2][3][4] She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and Socialist Majority Caucus.[5] She is "a dual citizen of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation and the United States."[6]
Early career
Valdez served as a program assistant in the visual arts program at Columbia University before the beginning of her term as an assembly member after having attempted to establish an art career.[7][6] She was an organizer with United Auto Workers and is an activist with the New York City chapter of Democratic Socialists of America.[8][9]
New York State Assembly
In the 2024 New York State Assembly election, Valdez was a candidate in the 37th district. In the Democratic Party primary, Valdez defeated Johanna Carmona by 27 percentage points and incumbent Juan Ardila by 48 percentage points.[10] She was endorsed by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and had support from the Working Families Party.[11][12] She ran unopposed for the seat in the November general election.
Amid the investigations into Mayor of New York City Eric Adams, she publicly called for his resignation.[13] She endorsed Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 New York City mayoral election.[14]
Early in 2026, Valdez announced her campaign in the 2026 United States House of Representatives election, in the state's seventh House district.[15]
Electoral history
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 21 | 0.3 | ||
| Total votes | 6,951 | |||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Claire Valdez | 26,527 | ||
| Working Families | Claire Valdez | 7,766 | ||
| Total | Claire Valdez | 34,293 | 98.5 | |
| Write-in | 533 | 1.5 | ||
| Total votes | 34,826 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Notes
- Elected on both Democratic and WFP ballot lines in New York via electoral fusion.
- The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are not a registered political party. Instead, they are a political organization for those with democratic socialist ideologies. Valdez is a member of and is endorsed by the New York City DSA chapter.
