Taco Bell alum Claire Valdez brings working-class roots to Congress bid

Claire Valdez’s path to Congress runs through Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Trader Joe’s, and that is the point. The New York State Assembly member, who took office on January 1, 2025, was on the ballot June 23 in the Democratic primary for New York’s 7th Congressional District, bringing a rare kind of résumé into a race that labor activists are watching closely.

The district stretches across parts of Queens and Brooklyn, including Astoria, Long Island City, Williamsburg and Bushwick. It opened up when Rep. Nydia Velázquez, first elected in 1992 and in office since 1993, did not seek re-election. That vacancy turned the contest into a test not just of local political strength, but of whether a candidate rooted in service work and union organizing can break through in a congressional field still dominated by professional politicians.

Valdez’s campaign has leaned hard on that background. Her materials say she worked low-wage customer service jobs at Taco Bell and Trader Joe’s before becoming a union organizer, and list Pizza Hut among her service jobs as well. She moved to New York City from Texas in 2015, later became a member of UAW Local 2110, and has said that her union experience pushed her toward politics. In a Congress where only about 2% of members have held low-wage service jobs, her candidacy stands out for reasons that reach beyond biography.

For restaurant workers, the distinction matters. A lawmaker who has closed out a shift, handled customer complaints, and lived on low wages is likely to understand the stakes of pay debates, scheduling, organizing, and basic workplace protections in a way that many elected officials do not. Valdez has framed her campaign around labor organizing and economic justice, with abolition of ICE, lower living costs and support for a free Palestine among her central positions.

The race also carried broader significance inside New York City politics. It was being read as a measure of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America against more institutional Democratic forces, with Valdez, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Queens Council Member Julie Won drawing much of the fundraising and media attention. Valdez had also picked up endorsements from Bernie Sanders, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and state Sen. Michael Gianaris.

A televised NY1 debate on June 3 sharpened the contrast among the leading candidates, and Valdez’s run showed how far a former Taco Bell worker can go in a city where working-class political identity is increasingly becoming a campaign asset.