When Assemblymember Claire Valdez joined the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez in the 7th Congressional District, she did so out of a desire to increase union representation in Congress.
Valdez, a member of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), is running against Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso — a fellow progressive lawmaker – to succeed Velázquez in one of the most left-leaning congressional districts in the entire country, which straddles Western Queens and North Brooklyn.
