Claire Valdez, a Democratic socialist and state assembly member, has secured the Democratic nomination for New York’s 7th Congressional District. She defeated a crowded field of candidates in the primary, including Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, City Council Member Julie Won, and civil rights attorney Vichal Kumar. Valdez will fill the seat being vacated by Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who announced she would not seek re-election after more than three decades in office.
Valdez had been leading in the polls and was endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who praised her for supporting him during his mayoral campaign and sharing his progressive vision. Mamdani noted that Valdez comes from the labor movement and knows how to turn struggle into real gains on housing, health care, and workers’ rights.
Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who also supported Mamdani's mayoral campaign, publicly expressed concerns about the mayor's involvement in the primary, stating that it "opens up fights" with the people he governs. Velázquez, the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, had initially supported Mamdani but later slammed him in January after he endorsed Valdez over Reynoso.
Valdez is a vocal critic of Israel and has called for significant changes, including abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), expanding universal healthcare, raising taxes on the wealthy, boosting affordable housing, and strengthening unions. Her campaign website states that she will deliver a real economic vision to win the working class away from Trumpism.
Valdez has received support from other progressive groups and individuals, including controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and the Justice Democrats, who helped launch Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s insurgent House campaign in 2018. Piker called Valdez and activist Darializa Avila Chevalier "giants" of the socialist movement at a Brooklyn rally this month.
Piker added that the current moment presents an opportunity for the socialist movement, and that Valdez’s victory could be one of many for the movement in the midterms. He expressed optimism that by the end of the midterms, Zohran’s endorsement will seem unremarkable due to the number of progressive candidates elected to legislative offices throughout New York City and the state.
