Julia Salazar
Nominated without a primary opponent; running unopposed in the general election
Julia Salazar is the incumbent Democratic and Working Families Party state senator for District 18, first elected in 2018. She chairs the Senate's Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee and serves as Deputy Majority Leader for Senate and Assembly Relations. She is running unopposed for a fourth term.[1][2]
Floor votes in Albany
- YesAssesses a separate tax on distributions from designated settlement funds · S10585 · Passed Senate 39–21 · 2026-06-01 official record ↗Assesses a 100% tax on distributions from the federal anti-weaponization fund; provides that such tax shall not be reduced pursuant to any deduction, exemption or credit.
- YesProvides that a microbusiness licensee authorized to conduct retail sales may serve as a processor and cultivator for purposes of cannabis showcase event permits · S10113 · Passed Senate 47–13 · 2026-06-01 official record ↗Provides that a microbusiness licensee authorized to conduct retail sales may serve as a processor and cultivator for purposes of cannabis showcase event permits.
- YesRelates to winter road maintenance data collection and monitoring · S10094 · Passed Senate 44–16 · 2026-06-01 official record ↗Establishes a standardized statewide system for collecting, recording, and monitoring winter road maintenance operational data in order to improve efficiency, enhance transparency, and support the protection of water resources in the state of New York; requires calibration of all deicing material application equipment used for winter highway maintenance on public roads.
- YesEstablishes the New York State grid reliability and energy affordability transition (GREAT) act · S9500-A · Passed Senate 39–21 · 2026-06-01 official record ↗Establishes the New York State grid reliability and energy affordability transition (GREAT) act; establishes the virtual power plant program to help reduce energy costs and grid reliability risks; provides incentives to participants for supporting the grid by investing in distributed energy resources and reducing net energy costs.
- YesRelates to placing restrictions on the sale of flare guns · S8455-B · Passed Senate 35–25 · 2026-06-01 official record ↗Establishes the crimes of criminal sale of a flare gun in the first and second degrees; sets restrictions on and requirements for the sale of flare guns.
- YesRequires certain construction project contracts to include siting of renewable energy systems, qualified energy storage systems, or electric major utility transmission facilities · S7898-A · Passed Senate 39–21 · 2026-06-01 official record ↗Requires certain construction project contracts with a value of greater than or equal to five million dollars to include siting of renewable energy systems, qualified energy storage systems, or major electric transmission facilities.
- YesConcealed Carry Improvement Act · S51001 · Passed 43–20 · 2022-07-01 official record ↗Enacted after the Bruen decision: added training and character requirements for carry permits and barred guns in designated sensitive places.
- Yes2021–22 Budget Revenue Bill (raised taxes on income over $1M and corporate franchise tax) · S2509-C · Passed 38–25 · 2021-04-06 official record ↗Raised personal income tax rates on incomes above $1 million and raised the corporate franchise tax rate on large businesses, among other revenue measures.
- YesProtect Our Courts Act · S425-A · Passed 42–18 · 2020-07-22 official record ↗Bars federal civil immigration arrests of people going to, attending, or leaving New York courthouses without a judicial warrant.
- YesClimate Leadership and Community Protection Act · S6599 · Passed 41–21 · 2019-06-18 official record ↗Set statewide targets of 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and an 85% cut in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.
- YesHousing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 · S6458 · Passed 36–26 · 2019-06-14 official record ↗Made rent regulation permanent, ended vacancy decontrol and the vacancy bonus, and limited rent increases for major capital improvements.
- YesExtreme Risk Protection Orders (Red Flag Law) · S2451 · Passed 42–21 · 2019-01-29 official record ↗Allows courts to temporarily bar people found to pose a danger to themselves or others from possessing firearms.
- YesReproductive Health Act · S240 · Passed 38–24 · 2019-01-22 official record ↗Moved abortion from the penal code to the public-health law and protected access to abortion under state law.
Votes on landmark laws since 2019, plus 2026 roll calls where at least five members voted on the losing side — read from the legislature’s official records.
On the record — official actions
- bill2026-06-05 · Sponsored S845, the Maternal Health, Dignity and Consent Act, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support in 2026.[5]
- bill2026-06-05 · Sponsored S2667, prohibiting restraints on pregnant and postpartum people in law enforcement custody except in specified emergency circumstances and banning restraints during active labor; passed both the Senate and Assembly.[6]
- bill2026-06-04 · Sponsored S8353, the Tampons Aren't Contraband Act, barring state and local correctional facilities from denying visitors entry over menstrual products or IUDs; passed both the Senate and Assembly and was awaiting the Governor's signature as of the source date.[7]
- billWas the lead sponsor of the HALT Solitary Confinement Act (2021), which ended the use of long-term solitary confinement in New York state prisons.[2]
- billSponsored the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act (2019), requiring insurance companies to cover all FDA-approved forms of contraception.[2]
- actionChairs the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee in the 2025-2026 session.[2]
Positions on the issues
- OpposesExpand immigration enforcement and deportationsFrom recorded votes
Voted yes on S425-A (Protect Our Courts Act, 2020-07-22): Bars federal civil immigration arrests of people going to, attending, or leaving New York courthouses without a judicial warrant.[13]
What they say: Co-led, with Assemblymember Diana Moreno and NYC Councilmember Shahana Hanif, a coalition of 143 New York state and local elected officials calling on congressional Democratic leaders to support abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).[4]
- SupportsExpand public health coverage
Sponsored the Maternal Health, Dignity and Consent Act, requiring informed consent before drug testing pregnant patients or newborns, to address disparities in testing practices.[5]
“This is an invasive and racist pattern that is disproportionately harming Black and brown New Yorkers.”
- SupportsStronger rent regulation and tenant protectionsFrom recorded votes
Voted yes on S6458 (Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, 2019-06-14): Made rent regulation permanent, ended vacancy decontrol and the vacancy bonus, and limited rent increases for major capital improvements.[8]
What they say: Played a role in passing the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act and sponsored the Good Cause Eviction bill, signed into law in 2024, both of which strengthen tenant protections and regulate rent increases.[2]
- SupportsFaster transition away from fossil fuelsFrom recorded votes
Voted yes on S6599 (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, 2019-06-18): Set statewide targets of 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and an 85% cut in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.[9]
What they say: Co-sponsored the Build Public Renewables Act, climate-justice legislation enacted in 2023 that expands the state power authority's role in building renewable energy.[2]
- SupportsStricter gun lawsFrom recorded votes
Voted yes on S2451 (Extreme Risk Protection Orders (Red Flag Law), 2019-01-29): Allows courts to temporarily bar people found to pose a danger to themselves or others from possessing firearms. Voted yes on S51001 (Concealed Carry Improvement Act, 2022-07-01): Enacted after the Bruen decision: added training and character requirements for carry permits and barred guns in designated sensitive places.[10][11]
- SupportsProtect legal access to abortionFrom recorded votes
Voted yes on S240 (Reproductive Health Act, 2019-01-22): Moved abortion from the penal code to the public-health law and protected access to abortion under state law.[12]
- SupportsRaise taxes on high earners or corporationsFrom recorded votes
Voted yes on S2509-C (2021–22 Budget Revenue Bill (raised taxes on income over $1M and corporate franchise tax), 2021-04-06): Raised personal income tax rates on incomes above $1 million and raised the corporate franchise tax rate on large businesses, among other revenue measures.[14]
In their words — priorities
Background
- Attended Columbia University and began advocacy work there on tenant and worker rights.[2]
- Worked as a community organizer for Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ), focusing on criminal justice and police accountability, before her 2018 election.[2]
- Elected to the State Senate in 2018 at age 27, becoming, per her official Senate biography, the youngest woman elected in the history of the New York State Senate.[2]
- Chairs the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee; previously chaired the Senate Committee on Women's Issues (2019-2020).[2]
- Serves as Deputy Majority Leader for Senate and Assembly Relations and as Treasurer of the legislature's Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Caucus.[3]