Overview:
Claire Valdez, a citizen of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation, has made history as the first Native American woman elected to represent New York in Congress, bringing her progressive platform and labor advocacy to Washington, D.C. in January 2027.
Native Vote 2026
Claire Valdez, a citizen of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation, has been elected to Congress, making her the first Native American woman elected to represent New York in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Valdez joins Deb Haaland, who was elected governor of New Mexico and will become the first Native American woman governor in the United States, among the many historic firsts of the 2026 general midterm elections.
Valdez will represent New York’s 7th Congressional District, officially taking office in January 2027. Valdez will be among five Native Americans serving in the 120th Congress. The others include: Tom Cole (Chickasaw), represnting Oklahoma’s 4th congressional district; Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk), representing Kansas 3rd congressional district; Josh Brecheen (Choctaw), representing Oklahomas’ 2nd congressional district; and Sean McCann (Citizen Potawatom Nation), representing Michigan’s 4th congressional distirct.
Another possible addittion to this record number of Native Americans serving in the House of Representataives is Johanthan Nez, running for Arizona’s congressional district. As of Thursday morning, the reac is too close to call.
“Thank you for believing a better world is possible. And thank you for fighting for it,” Valdez posted on Instagram following her victory.
With the results reporting nearly complete, Valdez defeated Republican candidate Melvin Rivera by a substantial margin. According to the latest reported results, Valdez received 83.3% of the vote, compared with Rivera’s 15.0%. Independent candidate Priscilla Ghaznavi received 1.3%.
Valdez currently serves in the New York State Assembly, where she has fought to tax the wealthy, protect tenants, and empower working people. Running as a Democratic Socialist, Valdez is also a longtime leader in the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA).
Her campaign platform includes strengthening unions, expanding affordable housing, Medicare for All, AI regulation, climate justice, and more. She plans to champion the PRO Act, which would make it easier for workers to form unions and strengthen protections against corporate union-busting.
Before entering politics, Valdez worked at Columbia University, where she joined United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2110 and was elected to the union’s bargaining committee. She later served as unit chair, representing approximately 500 coworkers.
“I didn’t come to politics through party machines or electoral ambition. I learned how this system really works in low-wage customer service jobs and found my power in a union,” Valdez states on her campaign website.
