Claire Valdez launches a bid for Congress staffed by Mamdani’s consigliere

Before Assembly Member Claire Valdez launched her campaign for Congress Thursday, there were several signals that she would do so with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s support. She was a regular at his campaign stops. She spoke at his “A City We Can Win” rally ahead of the primary. She was featured prominently in his recent video about striking Starbucks workers.

But the clearest signal of all is the fact that Valdez has become a client of Mamdani’s closest political adviser, Morris Katz. Already, Katz has been heavily involved, staffing her at meetings and events, including a press conference this week with the mayor on junk fees. 

Valdez, who was elected to the Assembly in 2024, faces Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who is expected to be endorsed by retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez in the race to succeed her. 

Katz and Mamdani’s longtime chief of staff, Elle Bisgaard-Church, form Mamdani’s innermost circle. While Bisgaard-Church is focused on city government, the 26-year-old Katz has stayed on the campaign side of things, helping to boost Mamdani’s allies – and menace his foes. 

“When Nydia decided to retire, and (Valdez’s) name started being floated, we connected and talked it through. And it's kind of a clean continuation of the fight for a new era of leadership,” Katz said in an interview with City & State. He noted that Valdez was the only elected official at Mamdani’s mayoral campaign launch event in October of 2024. 

He also called this “one of the most important races in the country,” a puzzling take for a safe blue seat contest between a progressive and a further left progressive. Though as an adviser to populist congressional and Senate candidates across the country, Katz should know. “I think she can reshape the relationship between labor and the left and labor and the Democratic Party,” he said. Valdez was previously an organizer in her union: UAW Local 2110, which represents professional staff and clerical workers at Columbia University.

Katz is not the only Mamdani adviser working with Valdez. Andrew Epstein, who was the Mamdani campaign’s communications director and then creative director, is also advising Valdez on communications and political strategy as she launches her congressional campaign.

And Valdez is not Katz’s only Mamdani-aligned congressional candidate. He is advising Brad Lander’s primary challenge to Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th Congressional district spanning South Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. “I think the path to a majority that doesn't just sit on its hands and bow down to the same corporate overlords runs through NY-7 and NY-10,” Katz said.

Valdez is clearly the Democratic Socialists of America candidate in her race. The organization has not yet officially endorsed, but Valdez has applied for the DSA endorsement and is very likely to receive it. She is scheduled to appear at the DSA Electoral Working Group’s candidate forum on Jan. 14 to make her case to members. A formal endorsement could come weeks later, following votes by the Electoral Working Group, Queens DSA branch, full NYC-DSA membership and Citywide Leadership Committee.

No other DSA-backed elected officials are expected to run for the open House seat. State Sen. Julia Salazar had initially been seen as the front-runner for the DSA endorsement, until she took herself out of the running. City Council Member Tiffany Cabán also explored running for the seat but ultimately decided to bow out after it became clear that the mayor and much of DSA preferred Valdez.

Two potential DSA primary challengers in other districts were each sidelined by the mayor, despite their affiliation with his political home – Chi Ossé, who was seriously considering a run against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Alexa Avilés, who was endorsed by the organization to primary Goldman. Mamdani actively worked to stop DSA from endorsing Ossé against Jeffries, and he endorsed Lander in the race for the 10th Congressional District, leading Avilés to drop her campaign. After those two snubs, the mayor owes the DSA a candidate. The 7th Congressional District spans western Queens and North Brooklyn neighborhoods so progressive that left-whisperer Michael Lange dubbed them the “Commie Corridor.” Mamdani carried the district with 65% of the vote in June’s Democratic primary election. 

Katz wouldn’t describe his conversations with Mamdani about these congressional races on the record other than to say: “There is no one in my life more important than the mayor.”