Democrat · New York's 7th District · 2026
Claire Valdez
Valdez grew up in Lubbock, where her parents took the family out to watch meteor showers.
Biography
Claire Valdez grew up in Lubbock, Texas, where her parents took the family out to watch meteor showers.1 Her paintings later returned to the night sky and moon.1 She studied painting and art history at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and moved to New York in 2015 to pursue an artist's career.1
Her jobs included Taco Bell, Trader Joe's, Pizza Hut, arts administration at SculptureCenter and a program assistant position in Columbia University's visual arts department.1 At Columbia, she became active in UAW Local 2110, serving on a bargaining committee and becoming her workplace's elected unit chair in 2022, representing 500 of her coworkers.2 She was elected to the State Assembly in 2024.2
She is the 7th District's Democratic candidate.3 Valdez identifies with Democratic Socialists of America, which she joined in 2019.4 Her campaign emphasizes expanding workers' ability to organize, including people whose gig work or contractor status makes union membership difficult.1
She supports Medicare for All with care available regardless of employment or immigration status.1 Housing priorities include expanded rent control and more public and social housing that remains affordable over time.4 She also calls for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and increasing taxes on the wealthy.1
Record and controversies
Reported like of an October 7 post
On May 15, 2026, Jewish Insider reported that Valdez's X account had liked an October 7, 2023 post praising Palestinian resistance.5 The screenshot published with the report also shows the post's author expressing fear for relatives in Gaza and mourning people who had died.6 The publication said her campaign had not responded to questions about the interaction by that article's publication.5
The original account activity and any later candidate explanation were not independently verified for this note.