Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the United Auto Workers (UAW) have endorsed Assembly Member Claire Valdez in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez in New York’s 7th Congressional District, including parts of Western Queens and North Brooklyn.
Mamdani appeared alongside Valdez at a campaign event at Bushwick’s Maria Hernandez Park on Friday afternoon to endorse her in the race, one day after Valdez officially launched her run to replace Velázquez, who announced late last year that she would not be seeking re-election after 16 terms in office.
Valdez, a member of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) who has represented the 37th Assembly District since early 2025, announced her campaign to run for Congress early Thursday morning. Mamdani, who was reportedly highly influential in encouraging Valdez to run for Velázquez’s soon-to-be-vacant seat, described Valdez as someone who will “stand with workers at every single opportunity.”
The Mayor also noted that Valdez was the only elected official to appear at the launch event of his mayoral campaign in October 2024.
“Standing with me then took courage,” Mamdani said. “It took belief that people who do an honest day’s work deserve to come home and stay in their home.”
Valdez also picked up an endorsement from UAW at Friday’s event, with union President Shawn Fain describing Valdez’s campaign as a “remedy” for how working-class voters can “fight back” against corporate interests.
Fain pointed to Valdez’s roots organizing with UAW Local 2110 while she worked at Columbia University, describing Valdez as someone who stands up to the “toughest bosses” in the city.
A DSA candidate had long been expected to enter the race to replace Velázquez in NY-7 prior to Valdez’s Jan. 8 announcement, with both Valdez and Astoria Council Member Tiffany Cabán both reportedly expressing interest in running for a district that broke for Mamdani by over 51% last year.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso has also launched a campaign to replace Velázquez, picking up a slate of endorsements in the City Council when he announced his candidacy at the beginning of December.
On Friday, Valdez said she hoped to “take on the bosses” and “take on corporate interests” throughout her campaign, pointing to “housing for all, Medicare for all and union for all” as three central components of her run for Congress.
She also spoke of a need for New York to be “stronger” against ICE and the Trump Administration, accusing the federal government of “kidnapping neighbors for far too long.”
“We have to stand up against the fascist administration,” Valdez said. “We need fighters in Washington to stand up against them.”
She also vowed to fight to abolish ICE if she is elected to Congress.
“ICE should be abolished. It serves no purpose besides terrorizing our communities,” she said.
Separately, she described joining UAW Local 2110 as a moment that “transformed” her life and vowed to fight to make it easier for workers to join unions across the country.
“The very basics that every worker deserves are won by organizing for unions that are fought for at the bargaining table and fought for at the picket line every single day in the United States,” Valdez said. “But far too few workers are given the ability to join those unions.”
Valdez and Reynoso share a number of ideological similarities; both are prominent labor organizers and both have described Israel’s actions in Palestine as a “genocide.” Valdez, however, said she was bringing her experience as a member of UAW Local 2110’s bargaining committee to her run for Congress.
“I’m bringing the deep belief in a strong and vibrant labor movement and that being the basis of what grows political power,” Valdez said.
Fain, meanwhile, said Valdez’s relative lack of experience in politics should not count against her in the race. The Queens Assembly Member has held elected office for roughly a year, while Reynoso’s career in city politics spans more than a decade, including a stint in the City Council and a term as Brooklyn borough president.
Fain, however, said there are a number of elected officials in Congress with decades of experience but a poor track record of passing legislation that aids working-class communities.
“What has the experience of millionaires and billionaires on Capitol Hill done for working-class people? Has it made our health care and housing affordable? Have our wages gotten better? Hell no,” Fain said.
Launching her campaign on Thursday, Valdez said there was little question that Democrats would win a majority in the 7th Congressional District but said questions remain over what they “do with it.”
“We need a labor organizer in Washington who will turn Democratic power into a real opposition—one that confronts oligarchy and fascism, opposes genocide and war, and offers a real economic agenda that empowers working people and expands social rights,” Valdez said in a statement announcing her run for Congress.
Mamdani, meanwhile, said he needed a “partner” like Valdez in Washington, adding that the Queens Assembly Member would lead the fight for a “city people can afford.”
“Our city needs someone with her organizing instincts and moral clarity to fight for a future where everyone can live with dignity,” Mamdani said.
Reynoso told the New York Times when he launched his campaign in early December that he was running for office to curb the threat of federal immigration enforcement and to “decorporatize” the Democratic Party. Reynoso, who represented the 34th Council District in Brooklyn between 2014 and 2021, also signaled his intentions to push the party to the left. As Brooklyn Borough President, he has largely focused on equitable development and public health.
Reynoso, a progressive member of the Democratic Party, is now set for a showdown with Valdez, who represents a farther-left section of the party strengthened by Mamdani’s victory last year. The DSA, emboldened by Mamdani’s victory, has endorsed candidates in a wide range of races in Western Queens following Mamdani’s success. Although the party has not yet endorsed in the NY-7 race, it is widely expected to choose Valdez, a staunch Mamdani ally who is ideologically aligned with the DSA.
Valdez said she has held conversations with Velázquez since the veteran lawmaker announced her retirement last November, adding that she has the “world of respect” for Velázquez’s term in office.
“She’s a true champion for working-class people and stands head and shoulders above so many of her colleagues,” Valdez said. “I’d be proud to stand in her shoes and carry on her legacy.”
She touted Velázquez’s “moral courage” throughout her career in politics, pointing to her efforts to stand up for Puerto Rican self-determination and taking “difficult positions” in anti-colonial struggles.
Velázquez has yet to endorse in the race, but several outlets have reported that she is expected to endorse Reynoso. Velázquez’s office did not return a request for comment.
