Julia Salazar

During her campaign, Salazar was criticized by Armin Rosen of Tablet, who raised questions about statements regarding her Jewish identity. 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. According to Rosen, her brother claimed their father "never mentioned" any Sephardic heritage before his death. Following the publication of Rosen's piece, Salazar's mother stated that her husband's family had a Sephardic background, while Salazar's former classmates attested to her Jewish faith in college. 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. He also raised questions about Salazar's immigration background, discussed in an article a week later in City & State.

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

In April 2018, Salazar announced her candidacy for the 18th district of the New York State Senate against incumbent Senator Martin Malave Dilan in the Democratic primary.

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

On September 11, 2018, Salazar accused David Keyes, then a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of sexual assault, stating she was preempting being outed a story about to be published by The Daily Caller. Keyes denied assaulting her in a statement to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Eleven additional women subsequently alleged similar instances of harassment or assault by him. Although Israel's Civil Service Commission did not find sexual harassment by Keyes occurred, he resigned from his position in December 2018.

Her campaign gained significant attention after the primary victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York's 14th congressional district. She was endorsed by Our Revolution, the Democratic Socialists of America, Cynthia Nixon, and Ocasio-Cortez herself. Citizens Union initially endorsed her but later revoked their endorsement, citing discrepancies in information she provided about her academic credentials.

Julia Salazar (born December 30, 1990 in Miami, Florida) is an American politician and activist. She is the New York State Senator for the 18th district, which covers much of north Brooklyn. She won the seat as a first-time candidate after unseating incumbent Senator Martin Malave Dilan in the Democratic Party primary in 2018. 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.

Salazar was born in Miami on December 30, 1990. Her mother is an American citizen by birth, and her father a naturalized American citizen from Colombia. Her parents divorced during her childhood. Salazar described being raised in "a conservative home" and at 18 registered as a Republican. In March 2010, she registered with the Independence Party of New York, believing it meant she was an unaffiliated voter.