Claire Valdez

Claire Valdez
Valdez in 2025
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 37th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2025
Preceded byJuan Ardila
Personal details
Born (1989-10-12) October 12, 1989
Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations

Claire Valdez is an American politician serving as a member of the New York State Assembly representing the 37th District since 2025. A progressive Democrat and a member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, she represents part of the Borough of Queens.[1]

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

2024 New York State Assembly election, District 37[16][17]
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

  1. ^ Elected on both Democratic and WFP ballot lines in New York via electoral fusion.
  2. ^ 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.

References

  1. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/nyregion/claire-valdez-congress-mamdani.html
  2. ^ Jefferson, Austin (January 17, 2025). "Meet the 2025 class of new state lawmakers". City & State. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  3. ^ "Queens voters head to polls in Assembly District 37 Democratic primary". ny1.com. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  4. ^ Parry, Bill (August 30, 2023). "Ridgewood woman launches campaign to unseat scandal-scarred Assemblyman Juan Ardila – QNS". qns.com. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  5. ^ López⁩, Álvaro; Turner, David (October 16, 2024). "For A Fighting & Winning NYC-DSA". The Agitator. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Uetricht, Micah; Valdez, Claire (January 8, 2026). "Claire Valdez Is a Socialist and Union Organizer Running for Congress". Jacobin.com. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  7. ^ "A worker first, unionist second, Valdez seeks Queens Assembly seat". The Chief. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  8. ^ "This Union Organizer Is Hoping to Expand Socialists' Electoral Stronghold in Queens". Jacobin.com. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Andres, Czarinna (June 26, 2024). "Claire Valdez takes Assembly District 37 race in western Queens, championing Democratic socialism – QNS". qns.com. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  10. ^ Krichevsky, Sophie (June 27, 2024). "Valdez wins AD 37 race by 27 points". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  11. ^ zgewelb (November 16, 2023). "Working Families Party endorses Claire Valdez in race to unseat Assemblymember Juan Ardila". Queens Post. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Andres, Czarinna (May 23, 2024). "AOC endorses fellow Democratic Socialist Claire Valdez for New York Assembly District 37". Queens Post. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  13. ^ "With Eric Adams refusing to resign, who is calling for him to be removed from office?". City & State NY. February 14, 2025. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  14. ^ "Zohran Mamdani endorsed by (most) socialist lawmakers". City & State NY. March 13, 2025. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  15. ^ Pretsky, Holly; Sterne, Peter (January 8, 2026). "Claire Valdez launches a bid for Congress staffed by Mamdani's consigliere". City & State. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  16. ^ "Primary Election 2024 - Democratic Member of the Assembly - 37th Assembly District" (PDF). New York City Board of Elections. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  17. ^ "General Election 2024 - Member of the Assembly - 37th Assembly District" (PDF). New York City Board of Elections. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
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