The parliamentary candidate endorsed by Zoran Mamdani has such a thin resume that his campaign highlights his co-signing of a letter supporting Mahmoud Khalil, along with 40 others, as a key “achievement.” It’s a bit surprising, honestly.
On the other hand, Claire Valdez, a democratic socialist and Queens congresswoman, is promoting her background with a noteworthy accomplishment listed as her signing a letter advocating for the release of Columbia University protester Khalil, whom the Trump administration had aimed to deport.
In addition to the letter, Valdez’s campaign touts three significant accomplishments from her year in the New York Assembly: she rents an apartment, she belongs to a union, and she was among the early proponents of Mamdani’s bid for mayor in 2024, as mentioned in documents acquired by the paper.
It seems a bit odd, right? A resume that includes merely signing a letter and being a tenant. But that’s how her campaign is positioning her profile to the constituents.
Khalil, an outspoken anti-Israel advocate and former student at Columbia, was actually facing deportation to Algeria last month after being detained by immigration authorities the previous year.
Valdez’s team promotes her signing of the letter as a major achievement in the Assembly, emphasizing how she “risked arrest” to protest ICE and advance a critical bill in Congress.
Interestingly, Valdez has often criticized moderate figures within her own party for doing, well, the same thing—writing what she refers to as “strongly worded letters.”
One Democratic operative humorously noted, “So what Mr. Valdez basically acknowledges is that he’s just a notch above someone who’s in a coma.” It raises eyebrows, doesn’t it?
Meanwhile, Mamdani has invested some of his resources backing this rather inexperienced lawmaker as she aims to take over Nydia Velasquez’s long-held seat in New York’s 7th Congressional District. It appears that Mamdani’s approach has drawn the interest of a retiring councilman who intends to endorse Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso as his successor.
Velazquez, who is now 72, even advised Mamdani through the New York Times to focus on his responsibilities and avoid getting sidetracked by upcoming primary contests.
Interestingly enough, candidates from DSA have consistently criticized their more established Democratic rivals, including figures like Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer, for, well, merely putting their names on letters in protest. They’ve even made the criticisms public on their campaign platforms.
One elaborate post from Valdez derisively stated, “Don’t worry, our rights will be secured with a more forceful letter from @RepJeffries and @SenSchumer,” making it clear where she stands.
I suppose we’re looking at a bit of irony here; it seems like they’re calling out the establishment while doing something rather similar themselves.
Attempts to reach her campaign for comments were not immediately successful.
