Claire Valdez, who came to New York for the arts, wins NY-7 primary

Claire Valdez, a state assemblymember who traded Texas for New York to build a career in the arts, won the Democratic primary in New York's 7th Congressional District on Tuesday, essentially guaranteeing her a seat in Congress in November.

Valdez, 37, defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and City Council Member Julie Won in a race watched nationally as a test of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's political reach. She led with 55% of the vote to Reynoso's 36%, early returns showed.

Her campaign did not return a written list of questions Urgent Matter sent before the election.

Valdez, a Latina and an enrolled citizen of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, arrived from Texas in 2015. She went on to organize a union while working at Columbia University and joined the Democratic Socialists of America.

She has said few members of Congress have ever held a union card, and has promised "a golden age for organized labor."

Mamdani endorsed Valdez, campaigned for her and helped her raise money. She was the earliest elected official to back his underdog 2025 mayoral bid.

"We're calling it, Claire has won!" Gustavo Gordillo, co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America, said at Valdez's victory party.

Reynoso, 42, who was born and raised in Williamsburg, was backed by Rep. Nydia Velázquez, the district's retiring congresswoman and the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress.

The two candidates agreed on most major policy stances, including abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, higher taxes on the wealthy, and an end to U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza.

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