Claire Valdez, a 37-year-old artist, former cultural worker and union organiser, has won a seat in the United States House of Representatives, becoming one of the few working artists ever elected to Congress. The New York State assemblywoman defeated Republican Melvin Rivera by 68 percentage points in the midterm elections on November 3, taking the 7th Congressional District seat being vacated by Nydia Velazquez, who has held it since 2013.

The district covers north Brooklyn and western Queens, an area sometimes nicknamed the Commie Corridor, which also voted heavily for Valdez's endorser, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Valdez, a Democratic Socialist, built her campaign around protecting unions and workers' rights and tackling the affordability crisis, themes she has linked directly to her own background in the arts.

In an interview earlier this year, Valdez described coming to New York to pursue an artistic career and said her movement aimed to guarantee ordinary people the time, wages, healthcare and space to follow creative work and family life. The win adds to a string of Democratic victories in the midterms and places an artist with direct experience of cultural-sector labour at the centre of federal politics.

Valdez will take her seat in Washington as debates continue over arts funding, labour protections and the cost of living in American cities. Her election is likely to draw attention to the working conditions of artists and cultural workers, a constituency she has represented throughout her political career, and she has spoken about the need for affordable studio space and stable work for artists in the city she represents.