He represented District 62, which covered portions of Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Huerfano, Mineral, Pueblo, Rio Grande, and Saguache counties.

Valdez has a background in farming and ranching and worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service before taking office.

[4] However, in November 2019, he abandoned his congressional campaign and decided to seek re-election to his seat in the Colorado House of Representatives.

He cited Lauren Boebert's response to the storming of the Capitol as a major reason for launching his second congressional campaign.

[6] However, at the Colorado District 3 Democratic Assembly held on April 5, 2022, Valdez got only 28.6% of the 297 votes cast by the delegates, falling short of the 30% required to appear on the primary ballot, effectively ending his candidacy.