New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and National Nurses United (NNU) today announced a co-endorsement of Claire Valdez for New York’s 7th, Brad Lander for New York’s 10th, and Darializa Avila Chevalier for New York’s 13th congressional districts. Together, these three candidates represent nurses’ values of caring and compassion. They have solid track records of defending workers’ rights and advocating for their communities here in New York. We are confident that if elected, they will fight to restore health care funding, protect New York’s workers and most vulnerable patients, get ICE out of our hospitals and communities, and win Medicare for All and strong workplace organizing protections through the PRO Act. 

“When New Yorkers work together, anything is possible. And that is why we are excited to endorse Claire Valdez, Brad Lander, and Darializa Avila Chevalier for Congress,” said NYSNA and NNU President Nancy Hagans, RN. “These three have shown that a politics that centers dignity, respect, and human rights for everyone can defeat corporate power and win for working people everywhere. These three candidates are exactly why New York is leading the way in the renewed progressive movement that we’re seeing across the country.”

“As a nurse at a crucial public hospital in New York’s Congressional District 7, I see daily how Washington, D.C. fails to address the needs of working people," said NYSNA First Vice President Judith Cutchin, DNP, RN, and NNU vice president. “We need Congressmembers who will put working people first, like Claire Valdez did in Albany by leading the fight to pay off New York’s unemployment insurance debt and increase the state’s maximum unemployment benefit. Union member Darializa Avila Chevalier knows firsthand what it means to harness worker power to win, and we know she will fight for an agenda that puts people over profits. When New York City’s public hospital nurses fought for pay parity with private hospitals, Brad Lander was there with us every step of the way. We were proud to endorse him in the primary and know he will be an unwavering advocate for nurses and our patients in D.C.”

“Nurses across this country work hard every day to keep us healthy and safe. And as they have faced everything from RFK Jr.’s assault on public health to hospital executives’ bad faith negotiations, they have continued organizing for what they deserve,” said State Representative Claire Valdez. “I’m proud to receive the New York State Nurses Association and National Nurses United’s endorsement, and I look forward to fighting alongside them in Congress.”

“I'm proud to have NNU and NYSNA’s endorsement in this race,” said Brad Lander. “Nurses showed up and saved lives during the pandemic, like they do every single day. I'll fight to support nurses from their picket lines to the halls of Congress for safe staffing and Medicare for All.”

“Nurses are the ones holding our health care system together, often without the pay and resources they need,” said Darializa Avila Chevalier. “I’m honored to have the endorsement of National Nurses United and the New York State Nurses Association, because when nurses fight for safe staffing ratios and fair contracts, they’re fighting for every patient in this district. I was proud to picket alongside NYSNA members earlier this year, and in Congress, I’ll continue standing with them.”

NNU, the largest union of registered nurses in the nation, supports candidates who are committed to nurses’ values, including safe patient staffing in all hospitals across the country, protecting the rights of workers to organize, guaranteeing comprehensive health care to everyone through Medicare for All, and the abolishment of ICE. In a recent Gallup poll, nurses were voted the most trusted profession in the United States for the 24th consecutive year. NNU looks forward to helping elect Valdez, Lander, and Avila Chevalier and working closely with them in Congress on the important issues that affect registered nurses, our patients, and our communities.

NYSNA believes our ability to strengthen our public health infrastructure and our social safety net, and to take action to support frontline workers depends on electing candidates who support nurses, health care professionals, and our communities. We endorse candidates who share our values of community and compassion and will fight for us, our patients, and working people everywhere.

The New York State Nurses Association represents approximately 45,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.