Valdez has a background in farming and ranching and worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service before taking office. He has also served as deputy public trustee and deputy sheriff in Conejos County.[1]
Valdez was first elected to his seat in 2016, winning with 55.51% of the vote against Republican opponent Robert Mattive.[2] He took his seat in 2017, succeeding Ed Vigil. He served on the House Agriculture, Livestock, & Natural Resources Committee and the House Local Government Committee.[3]
Valdez was briefly a candidate for Colorado's 3rd congressional district, having announced his candidacy in July 2019. He faced at least two challengers for his party's nomination.[4] However, in November 2019, he abandoned his congressional campaign and decided to seek re-election to his seat in the Colorado House of Representatives.[5]
In February 2021, Valdez announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for Colorado's 3rd congressional district in 2022. He cited Lauren Boebert's response to the storming of the Capitol as a major reason for launching his second congressional campaign.[6] However, at the Colorado District 3 Democratic Assembly held on April 5, 2022, Valdez got only 28.6% of the 297 votes cast by the delegates, falling short of the 30% required to appear on the primary ballot, effectively ending his candidacy.[7]
