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 |
| Parliamentary group | New York State Socialists in Office |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 12,1989 Lubbock,Texas,U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic Socialists of America |
Claire Valdez is an American politician serving as a member of the New York State Assembly representing the 37th District since 2025. A Democrat,she represents part of Queens.
Valdez served as a program assistant in the visual arts program at Columbia University before the beginning of her term as an assembly member. [1] She was an organizer with United Auto Workers and is an activist with the New York City chapter of Democratic Socialists of America. [2] [3]
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. [4] She was endorsed by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and had the support from the Working Families Party. [5] [6] She ran unopposed for the seat in the November general election.
Amid the investigations into NYC Mayor Eric Adams,she publicly called for his resignation. [7] She endorsed Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 New York City mayoral election. [8]
Originally from Lubbock,Texas,Valdez moved to New York City in 2015 and lives in Ridgewood,Queens. [9] [10] [11] She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and Socialist Majority Caucus. [12]
| 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 | ||||