Julia Salazar, socialist in New York state Senate race, remakes herself
In a year in which establishment Democrats have found themselves stalked, and sometimes beaten, by more liberal challengers, New York’s Julia Salazar seems well-positioned to become the next insurgent to knock off an incumbent. She’s a 27-year-old, tattoo-wearing socialist, running for state Senate against a 67-year-old, male Democrat in a district that has been ground zero for Brooklyn’s hipster invasion.
Before she gets a chance to remake state politics, Salazar has run into questions about how she’s remade her own identity.
Just a few years ago, Salazar was a Republican who led an anti-abortion group at Columbia University. As a student, she appeared on conservative commentator Glenn Beck’s online show to complain about professors spreading anti-Israel propaganda.