Claire Valdez

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]

Claire Valdez attended the elite School of the Art Institute of Chicago.^[7] In addition, she worked a series of service jobs including roles at Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Trader Joe’s before moving to New York City to pursue a career in art.^[8] She then worked as a program assistant in the visual arts department at Columbia University before the beginning of her term as an assembly member.^[9][6] While working at Columbia, she became an active member of United Auto Workers Local 2110 after joining the union. Valdez went on to be elected to the role of unit chair in the local.^[10]

In 2019, she joined the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and went on to serve as the New Member Coordinator.^[11] She has worked on many of the chapter's electoral projects, including Julia Salazar’s 2020 reelection and Samy Olivares’ 2022 campaign for New York State Assembly.^[12]

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.^[13] She was endorsed by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and had support from the Working Families Party.^[14][15] She ran unopposed for the seat in the November general election.

After launching her assembly campaign in 2023, Valdez called for a ceasefire in Gaza^[16]. She was arrested during a 2025 demonstration outside the offices of U.S. senators Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand, protesting their votes against a resolution halting the sale of arms by the U.S. to Israel.^[17] She has sponsored the Not On Our Dime Act, first introduced by Zohran Mamdani during his term in the assembly.^[18] The pro-Israel Solidarity PAC spent over $40,000 to oppose her 2024 candidacy for New York State Assembly.^[19]

Valdez is a sponsor of New York For All, which bars the use of state and local resources in federal immigration enforcement actions.^[20] On September 28, 2025, she was arrested while inspecting the facilities at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.^[21]

Amid the investigations into Mayor of New York City Eric Adams, she publicly called for his resignation.^[22] She endorsed Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 New York City mayoral election.^[23] Valdez was among early supporters of Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, and was the only elected official present at his October 2024 campaign launch.^[24]

Early in 2026, Valdez announced her campaign in the 2026 United States House of Representatives election, in the state's seventh House district.^[25] Zohran Mamdani officially endorsed her in the race for NY-07 on January 9, 2026. She received the endorsement from UAW on the same day.^[26]

Her congressional race has also received endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders and Justice Democrats.^[27][28] NYC-DSA endorsed her candidacy in January 2026.^[29]