Susan Valdes
{{short description|American politician from Florida}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|image = State Representative Susan Valdes.jpg
|image_size=
| name = Susan Valdes
| caption =
| office = Member of the Florida House of Representatives
| constituency = 62nd district (2018–2022)
64th district (2022–present)
| term_start = 6 November 2018
| term_end =
| predecessor =Janet Cruz
| majority =
| otherparty =Democratic (before December 2024)
|party=Republican (December 2024–present)
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|11|3}}
| birth_place = New York, New York, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse =
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| residence = Tampa, Florida
| website = {{URL|https://valdes4house62.nationbuilder.com/|Campaign website}}
| education = A.P. Leto Comprehensive High School
}}
Susan Lopez Valdes (born November 3, 1964) is a Republican member of the Florida Legislature representing the State's 64th House district.
Political career
Valdes started her political career in 2016 when she won a seat on the Hillsborough County school board.{{Cite web |title=Susan Valdes |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Susan_Valdes |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en|archive-date=December 10, 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210072319/https://ballotpedia.org/Susan_Valdes}}
Valdes was elected unopposed on 6 November 2018 from the platform of the Democratic Party.{{cite news|at=State House |first2=Mike|last2=Andre|first3=Wilson|last3=Andrews|last4=Bloch|first4=Matthew|first5=Jeremy|last5=Bowers|first6=Larry|last6=Buchanan|last7=Cohn|first7=Nate|first8=Alastair|last8=Coote|last9=Daniel|first9=Annie|first10=Tiff|last10=Fehr|first11=Samuel|last11=Jacoby|last12=Katz|first12=Josh|first13=Josh|last13=Keller|first14=Aaron|last14=Krolik|last15=C. Lee|first15=Jasmine|first16=Rebecca|last16=Lieberman|first17=Blacki|last17=Migliozzi|first18=Paul|last18=Murray|first19=Kevin|last19=Quealy|first20=Jaymin|last20=Patel|first21=Adam|last21=Pearce|first22=Rachel|last22=Storey|first23=Michael|last23=Strickland|first24=Rumsey|last24=Taylor|first25=Isaac|last25=White|first26=Maxine|last26=Whitely|last27=Williams|first27=Josh|first28=Alan|last28=Blinder|last29=Charlton|first29=Lauretta|first30=Emily|last30=Cochrane|last31=Edmondson|first31=Catie|last32=Goodridge|first32=Elisabeth|first33=Pat|last33=Lyons|last34=Schwartz|first34=John|first35=Mitch|last35=Smith|last36=Stack|first36=Liam|first37=Jamie|last37=Stockwell |agency=The Associated Press|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/06/us/elections/results-florida-elections.html|archive-date=10 December 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210073608/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/06/us/elections/results-florida-elections.html |title=Florida Election Results|work=The New York Times|orig-date=6 November 2018 |date=15 May 2019|first1=Sarah|last1=Almukhtar|access-date=17 November 2018 |display-authors=1}}
In 2020 and 2022, her Democratic Party primary was canceled and she advanced to the general election without contest. Each time, she won reelection by a margin of over 5%.
On December 9, 2024, Valdes switched to the Republican party, only days after she lost a bid for Hillsborough County, Florida Democratic Party chairman.{{cite web|url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/711204-susan-valdes-dumps-democrats-joins-republican-party/|title=Susan Valdés dumps Democrats, joins Republican Party|last=Irwin Taylor|first=Janelle|date=December 9, 2024|access-date=December 9, 2024|website=Florida Politics|archive-date=10 December 2024|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210111902/https://floridapolitics.com/archives/711204-susan-valdes-dumps-democrats-joins-republican-party/}} In a statement, Valdes, who is term limited and was recently re-elected as a Democrat, said she didn’t want to spend the next two years being “ignored” by her party.{{cite news |url=https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2024/12/09/susan-valdes-tampa-democrat-florida-house-rep-switches-to-republican/76862712007/ |access-date=10 November 2024 |archive-date=10 December 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210112511/https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2024/12/09/susan-valdes-tampa-democrat-florida-house-rep-switches-to-republican/76862712007/ |date=December 9, 2024 |via=Tallahassee Democrat. |first=Gray|last=Rohrer|location=Florida|work=USA Today Network|title=Florida Republicans grow supermajority as Tampa Democrat switches sides}}
Electoral history
{{Election box begin no change
|title=General election for Florida House of Representatives District 64, 2022}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party=Democratic Party (US)
|candidate= Susan Valdes
|votes=22745
|percentage= 53.3%}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party=Republican Party (US)
|candidate=Maura Cruz Lanz
|votes=19930
|percentage=46.7%}}
{{End}}
{{Election box begin no change
|title=General election for Florida House of Representatives District 62, 2020}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party=Democratic Party (US)
|candidate=Susan Valdes
|votes=38403
|percentage= 57.6%}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party=Republican Party (US)
|candidate=Angel Urbina
|votes=25136
|percentage=37.7%}}
{{Election box candidate no change
|party=Other
|candidate=Laurie Rodriguez-Person
|votes=3183
|percentage=4.8%}}
{{End}}
{{Election box begin no change
|title=Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 62, 2018}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party=Democratic Party (US)
|candidate=Susan Valdes
|votes=4756
|percentage= 46.5%}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party=Democratic Party (US)
|candidate=Mike Alvarez
|votes=4180
|percentage=40.8%}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party=Democratic Party (US)
|candidate=Christopher Cano
|votes=1301
|percentage=12.7%}}
{{End}}
{{Election box begin no change
|title=Hillsborough County Public Schools
District 1 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2016}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party=Democratic Party (US)
|candidate=Susan Valdes
|votes=11975
|percentage= 50.56%}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party=Independent
|candidate=Bill Person
|votes=11708
|percentage= 49.44%}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Florida House of Representatives}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdes, Susan}}
Category:Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Florida
Category:Hispanic and Latino American women in politics
Category:Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
Category:Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
Category:21st-century American women politicians
Category:Women state legislators in Florida
Category:21st-century members of the Florida Legislature
Category:Latino conservatism in the United States
{{Florida-FLRepresentative-Democratic-stub}}