QUEENS — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed Assemblymember Claire Valdez for the United States Congress. The mayor delivered a speech at an arts-and-culture fundraising event for Valdez at the Weylin venue in Williamsburg on May 27.

Mamdani messaged campaign volunteers with his endorsement, including a video clip of himself and Valdez. Mamdani stated, "My friend Claire Valdez is running for Congress. Do me a favor and watch the video."

Valdez is seeking the congressional seat vacated by Nydia Velázquez, who announced her retirement. Velázquez was first elected to Congress in 1992. Mamdani received 65 percent of the vote from New York's Seventh Congressional District in the Democratic mayoral primary. The district includes Long Island City and Ridgewood in Queens, and Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Bushwick in Brooklyn.

Mamdani stated Valdez "does not wait to find out if the right thing is the popular thing. She does the right thing and then does the work to make it the popular thing." Valdez and rival Antonio Reynoso both support abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ending the conflict in Gaza. Valdez publicly endorsed Mamdani's mayoral campaign before Reynoso did. However, Reynoso has received union endorsements from a greater number of labor organizations than Valdez.

Valdez held a labor-themed rally at Queensbridge Park in Long Island City on May 2. She stated, "May Day is one of my favorite holidays. I love hearing workers talk about their struggle and how they organize." Valdez has a primary legislative goal to promote a general workers' strike in 2028. Shawn Fain, who previously employed Valdez at the United Auto Workers, called for the 2028 strike.

Local-politics analyst Michael Lange characterized the June 23 Democratic primary in the Seventh District as highly competitive, stating "Nobody is going to primary Nydia." Lange coined the term "Commie Corridor" to describe areas of New York that elected Mamdani and other Democratic Socialists of America candidates. Reynoso was born within the boundaries of the Seventh Congressional District. Reynoso posted a photograph with Toñita on the same day as the Super Bowl halftime show. During a televised debate, Valdez paused when asked to name a favorite local food cart and identified a juice cart near a Queens library.