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Julia Salazar

Julia Salazar
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 18th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
Preceded byMartin Malave Dilan
Personal details
Born (1990-12-30) December 30, 1990 (age 33)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (Before 2010)
Independence (2010)
Democratic (2017–present)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic Socialists of America
EducationColumbia University
WebsiteOfficial website
Campaign website

Julia Salazar (born December 30, 1990) is an American politician and activist. She is the New York State Senator for the 18th district, which covers much of northern Brooklyn, centered on Bushwick. She won the seat as a first-time candidate after unseating incumbent Senator Martin Malave Dilan in the Democratic Party primary in 2018.[1] She attracted national media attention for her support for sex workers' rights and other views. A member of the Democratic Socialists of America, she became the first member of the organization to serve in New York's state legislature.[2][3]

Early life and education

Salazar was born in Miami on December 30, 1990.[4][5][6] Her mother is an American citizen by birth, and her father a naturalized American citizen from Colombia. Her parents divorced during her childhood.[7][8] Salazar was raised in a secular[9] conservative home[10] and at 18 registered as a Republican.[11] In March 2010, she registered with the Independence Party of New York, believing it meant she was an independent voter.[11]

Salazar attended Columbia University, but did not earn a degree.[12][13][14] While there, Salazar was pro-life and a member of pro-Israel Christian student groups, but after a trip to Israel with Birthright Israel, her political views began to shift and she became involved in campus Jewish life and tenant organizing.[6][7][15] After college, she became a grassroots organizer and campaigned extensively for legislation around police accountability.[6]

Career

Salazar speaking at a February 2020 rally for affordable housing

While attending college, Salazar worked as a nanny for four years on the Upper West Side and as a housecleaner,[16][17][18] and in combination with her study of Middle Eastern history this led her to become more class-conscious.[10] She began as an activist by organizing a tenant group[17][19][20][21] with which she launched a rent strike against poor conditions in her housing block.[10] She then worked at a social justice non-profit, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) as an organizer.[21][18][22][23][24]

New York State Senate

In April 2018, Salazar announced her candidacy for the 18th district of the New York State Senate in the Democratic primary against incumbent Senator Martin Malave Dilan,[25][26] who had held his position since 2002.[9]

She ran as a democratic socialist.[9] Her campaign gained significant attention after the primary victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York's 14th congressional district.[26] She was endorsed by Our Revolution,[27] the Democratic Socialists of America,[28] Cynthia Nixon,[29] and Ocasio-Cortez herself.[6][30] Citizens Union initially endorsed her but later revoked their endorsement, citing discrepancies in information she provided about her academic credentials.[31]

On September 13, 2018 Salazar defeated Dilan for the Democratic Party nomination.[32] She was elected unopposed at the November 6 general election.[33][34]

Salazar handily won re-election in 2020, with 86.7% of the votes in the Democratic primary, and 97.5% in the general election.[35][36]

Political positions

Salazar speaking on a bill in the New York Senate chamber, March 2021

Salazar is a self-described democratic socialist,[37] a member of the Democratic Socialists of America,[27] and a staff organizer for Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.[25] She supports universal rent control in New York City,[38] decriminalization of sex work,[39][40] Medicare for All, the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and access to abortion services.[41] She also states that she supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement which advocates boycotting Israel.[5] She also supported the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019.[42][43]

Salazar characterizes democratic socialists as those who recognize capitalism to be an inherently oppressive and exploitative system and who actively work to dismantle it in favor of a socialist economic system. Contrasting progressives from democratic socialists, she identifies the former as those offering palliative solutions within capitalism (without advocating for changing the system); however, she highlights the overlap between the two groups in regard to short-term policy goals.[37]

She endorsed Bernie Sanders for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.[44][45] For the 2021 New York City mayoral election, she endorsed Cathy Rojas, the candidate of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.[46]

Personal life

Armin Rosen of Tablet has questioned Salazar's Jewish identity.[8][47][7] Salazar describes herself as Jewish, has said that she has some Sephardic ancestry through her father, including a Sephardic surname, and that she started to explore Judaism while attending college.[7][9] According to Rosen, her brother claimed their father "never mentioned" any Sephardic heritage before his death,[8] though Salazar's mother stated that her husband's family had a Sephardic background,[7][14] and Salazar's former classmates attested to her Jewish faith in college.[47][48] Salazar accused Rosen of engaging in "race science" and claimed he had threatened to publish her mother’s personal information if she didn't cooperate.[49]

Sexual assault allegations against Keyes

On September 11, 2018, Salazar accused David Keyes, a spokesperson for then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of sexual assault, stating she was preempting being outed in a story about to be published by The Daily Caller.[50][51] Keyes denied assaulting her in a statement to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.[52] Eleven additional women subsequently alleged similar instances of harassment or assault by him.[53] Keyes resigned from his position in December 2018.[54][55]

See also

References

  1. ^ Hajela, Deepti (September 13, 2018). "Another Socialist Victory: Julia Salazar Wins NY Senate Primary". WNBC. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  2. ^ Wang, Vivian (November 7, 2018). "Democrats Take Control of New York Senate for First Time in Decade". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  3. ^ Gessen, Massa (September 14, 2018). "A Triumphant Primary Night for Julia Salazar and the D.S.A. in Brooklyn". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  4. ^ Lewis, Rebecca; Williams, Zach (January 21, 2019). "Meet the new New York State Senate members". CSNY. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Dunst, Charles (August 23, 2018). "In Brooklyn, a Jewish Latina democratic socialist rallies for a State Senate seat". JTA. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Yadin, Daniel (July 4, 2018). "Running for State Senate, Julia Salazar Attempts Progressive Primary Upset". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Julia Salazar, the socialist politician accused of lying about her past, explained". September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c Rosen, Armin (August 23, 2018). "Who Is Julia Salazar? Brooklyn State Senate Candidate's Complex Personal History and Views". Tablet Magazine.
  9. ^ a b c d Fractenberg, Ben (July 16, 2018). "Julia Salazar Says Jewish Roots Helped Inspire Her Political Activism". The Forward. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Lorentzen, Christian (July 6, 2018). "Knocking on Doors With Julia Salazar, the Next DSA Candidate Hoping for an Upset". Intelligencer. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Lovett, Kenneth (July 23, 2018). "LOVETT: Self-proclaimed democratic socialist Salazar was first a registered Republican". New York Daily News. Albany. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  12. ^ "Columbia Daily Spectator 20 November 2012 — Columbia Spectator". spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  13. ^ "Columbia Daily Spectator 23 October 2012 — Columbia Spectator". spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  14. ^ a b McKinley, Jesse (August 5, 2018). "Want to Be the Next Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? Be Careful What You Wish". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  15. ^ Varlin, Josh (September 20, 2018). "The strange case of Julia Salazar, Democratic Socialists of America candidate for New York Senate". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  16. ^ "How decriminalizing sex work became a campaign issue in 2018". The Appeal.
  17. ^ a b ""It Really Comes Down to Empowering the Working Class"". jacobinmag.com.
  18. ^ a b "Democratic Socialist Julia Salazar Is Reelected as Senator in Brooklyn". June 24, 2020.
  19. ^ "Julia Salazar Explains What It Means to Be a Democratic Socialist Lawmaker". NY State Senate. May 8, 2020.
  20. ^ "State Sen. Julia Salazar Insists on Protections for All Tenants, Not Some".
  21. ^ a b Lentz, Jon (July 22, 2018). "Salazar takes aim at Dilan's tenants rights record in state Senate primary". City & State NY.
  22. ^ "FORMER STAFFER JUMPS INTO RACE FOR SEN. MONTGOMERY'S SEAT AS RETIREMENT RUMORS SWIRL". October 10, 2019. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  23. ^ "Jewish, Latina and pro-BDS: The N.Y. candidate vying to follow in Ocasio-Cortez's footsteps". Haaretz.com.
  24. ^ Plitman, Jacob (August 27, 2018). "Julia Salazar In Her Own Words".
  25. ^ a b Katinas, Paula (April 17, 2018). "Salazar to challenge Dilan in Democratic Primary". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  26. ^ a b Adler-Bell, Sam (July 3, 2018). "Julia Salazar Is Looking to Land the Next Blow Against the New York Democratic Machine". The Intercept. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  27. ^ a b "Julia Salazar". Our Revolution. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  28. ^ "Our Endorsements". dsausa.org. Democratic Socialists of America. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  29. ^ Kossov, Igor (July 2, 2018). "Nixon swaps endorsements with state Senate candidate". New York Post. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  30. ^ Jilani, Zaid; Chávez, Aída (August 30, 2018). "NYC DSA, Ocasio-Cortez Stand by State Senate Candidate Julia Salazar, Despite Story Disputing Her Biography". Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  31. ^ Jorgensen, Jillian. "Citizens Union drops endorsement of Julia Salazar, citing 'not correct' information about her academic credentials - NY Daily News". nydailynews.com. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  32. ^ "Julia Salazar, a Democratic Socialist, beats incumbent in New York senate primary". AP News. September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  33. ^ Nelson, Libby; Beauchamp, Zack (September 14, 2018). "Julia Salazar overcomes controversy to notch another victory for democratic socialists".
  34. ^ Lampen, Claire (September 14, 2018). "Inside Julia Salazar's Triumphant Brooklyn Primary Party: 'It's Time For Change Around Here'". Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  35. ^ Certified Results from the June 23, 2020 Primary Elections (PDF) (Report). New York State Board of Election. July 27, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 16, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  36. ^ AMENDED Certification for the November 3, 2020 General Election (PDF) (Report). New York State Board of Election. October 1, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 23, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  37. ^ a b Day, Meagan (July 6, 2018). ""It Really Comes Down to Empowering the Working Class"". Jacobin. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  38. ^ Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (August 2, 2018). "How the Democratic Socialists of America Learned to Love Cynthia Nixon". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  39. ^ Chávez, Aída (August 17, 2018). "Sex Workers Are Rallying Behind a Democratic Socialist Running for New York Senate". The Intercept. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  40. ^ Callie Beusman, Julia Salazar’s Win Is a Huge Victory for Sex Workers, in The Cut/New York, September 19, 2018
  41. ^ Halper, Katie. "Meet the Democratic Socialist Feminist Running for New York Senate". Teen Vogue. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  42. ^ Lennard, Natasha (May 14, 2019). "Across the Country, Progressives Are Pushing for Universal Rent Control — and New York Is Next". The Intercept. Retrieved July 20, 2019. The proposals are being sponsored by progressive freshman Democrats like state Sens. Julia Salazar and Zellnor Myrie, and born of tenants' rights organizing around the state by the Upstate/Downstate Housing Alliance.
  43. ^ Graham, Aidan (June 14, 2019). "Political leaders celebrate rent law agreement as a 'historic' victory for tenants". The Brooklyn Paper. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. State Sen. Julia Salazar led a protest on April 18 urging Albany legislators to adopt protections for tenants across the state, which they agreed to do earlier this week.
  44. ^ Marans, Daniel [@danielmarans] (June 13, 2019). ".@berniesanders announces New York endorsements: City Councilman Rafael Espinal; state Sens. Julia Salazar and James Sanders; Assemblymen Ron Kim and Phil Steck" (Tweet). Retrieved June 13, 2019 – via Twitter.
  45. ^ a_henning (March 5, 2020). "Who are prominent New Yorkers endorsing for president?". CSNY. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  46. ^ Weigel, David (September 7, 2021). "The Trailer: Democrats are feeling better about California's recall. Republicans are feeling cheated". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  47. ^ a b Dunst, Charles (August 24, 2018). "Amid controversy, NY State Senate candidate aims to clarify her Jewish identity". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  48. ^ "Opinion - We Are Julia Salazar's Former Classmates. We Had To Speak Out". Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  49. ^ Sommer, Allison Kaplan (August 26, 2018). "Fake Jews or Fake News? State Senate Candidate Julia Salazar Claims Racism After Jewish Identity Questioned". Haaretz. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  50. ^ "Julia Salazar Campaign Says Daily Caller Plans To Out Her As Sexual Assault Survivor". Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  51. ^ "Julia Salazar for State Senate on Twitter". Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  52. ^ Sommer, Allison Kaplan (September 11, 2018). "Netanyahu Spokesman Denies Sexual Assault Claim by N.Y. State Senate Candidate Julia Salazar". Haaretz. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  53. ^ Sommer, Allison Kaplan (September 12, 2018). "Ten More Women Accuse Netanyahu Spokesman Keyes of Improper Behavior". Haaretz. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  54. ^ Heruti-Sover, Tali (November 29, 2018). "Sexual misconduct case against Netanyahu spokesman Keyes closed". haaretz.com. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  55. ^ Ahren, Raphael (November 29, 2018). "Civil Service Commission drops probe of Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes". Retrieved December 2, 2018.
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