Julia Salazar

New York State senate candidate Julia Salazar put out a statement on her campaign website Thursday evening, addressing accusations about a past affair and arrest as “baseless.”

The Daily Mail and Tablet posted articles Thursday with claims that Salazar had an affair with Mets player Keith Hernandez and was arrested in 2011 after Hernandez’ then-wife, Kai, accused her of theft. The charges were dropped. Then Salazar sued Kai Hernandez in 2013 for defamation and received a settlement.

In her statement, Salazar, who is running against incumbent Senator Martin Dilan in north Brooklyn’s 18th district, recounted the story, which ended with allegations being dismissed.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“I thought I had put all of this behind me; I felt that baseless accusations rejected by the DA and a legal settlement in my favor legally closed the issue. I tried to move on with my life,” she wrote.

Salazar, who is running on a platform advocating for affordable housing and universal healthcare, goes on to lament how these accusations and scrutiny into her personal life have come to the forefront of conversation rather than the issues facing her district. Prior to the latest articles, Tablet dug into her complex history, which questioned her Jewish faith.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected]

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount