Jenifer Rajkumar: Campaigns and Elections
Jenifer Rajkumar has run for elected office multiple times across different districts and levels of government in New York. Her electoral record includes one citywide loss, two state legislative defeats, and multiple Assembly victories before a final primary loss in 2026.
Manhattan City Council, District 1 (2013)
Rajkumar's first campaign for public office was a 2013 bid for Manhattan City Council in the 1st Council District. She lost in the Democratic primary .
New York State Assembly, District 65 (2016)
Rajkumar ran in the 2016 Democratic primary for Assembly District 65 in lower Manhattan, the seat previously held by convicted former Speaker Sheldon Silver. She finished behind eventual winner Yuh-Line Niou and fellow challenger Paul Newell . The campaign was later the subject of espionage allegations, with three former campaign workers telling City and State that the campaign directed interns and volunteers to spy on rival operations .
New York State Assembly, District 38 (2020)
Rajkumar shifted her attention to Assembly District 38 in Queens. In the June 23, 2020, Democratic primary, she defeated four-term incumbent Michael Miller and challenger Joseph De Jesus. Her victory was described as the largest margin of any primary challenger in the state that cycle 4. In the November 3, 2020, general election, she defeated Republican Giovanni Perna with 72.6 percent of the vote, becoming the first Indian-American woman elected to a New York State office .
Rajkumar's campaign was notable for its grassroots organizing in a diverse district encompassing neighborhoods with significant South Asian, Indo-Caribbean, Latino, and white ethnic populations. She ran as an insurgent challenger against an entrenched incumbent, a narrative she would return to frequently throughout her career .
New York State Assembly, District 38 (2022)
Rajkumar ran for reelection in 2022 without a contested Democratic primary. She won the general election with 97.8 percent of the vote .
New York State Assembly, District 38 (2024)
Rajkumar was again reelected in 2024 without a contested primary, winning the general election against nominal opposition .
New York City Comptroller Campaign (2024, withdrawn)
In the summer of 2024, Rajkumar filed an exploratory committee to run for New York City Comptroller. She formally launched the campaign in November 2024 with a video posted to her campaign website. Her pitch focused on financial oversight, pledging to audit government agencies to ensure taxpayers received better value. She outlined priorities including addressing repeat offenders, cracking down on reckless e-bikes, closing the gender wage gap, creating a bridge-to-college program for high school graduates, improving affordable housing access, and safeguarding $270 billion in pension fund assets .
The launch drew muted reception. No other elected officials appeared at the event or offered endorsements, and an unidentified critic quickly registered jeniferrajkumar.com as an opposition site . Rajkumar raised approximately $400,000 in private donations before withdrawing from the race in January 2025 .
New York City Public Advocate (2025)
On January 27, 2025, Rajkumar pivoted from the comptroller race and announced her candidacy for New York City Public Advocate, challenging incumbent Jumaane Williams. She entered the race with a significant financial advantage, holding more than four times the cash on hand compared to Williams and expecting to qualify for more than $1 million in public matching funds .
Rajkumar positioned herself as a results-oriented centrist and civil rights attorney who would use the office's legal powers to sue on behalf of New Yorkers against government agencies and the federal government. She contrasted herself with Williams, whom she labeled the public absentee and accused of prioritizing style over substance for 15 years .
The campaign was marked by several controversies. In April 2025, Rajkumar posted cartoon images on social media depicting Williams as lazy and disengaged, which drew accusations of racial stereotyping from political consultants, elected officials, and media commentators . During a June 2025 debate, the two candidates clashed sharply over the cartoons, Williams' NYPD staffer incident, and Rajkumar's ties to Adams .
Public polling consistently showed Williams with an overwhelming lead. A Honan Strategy Group poll in April placed Rajkumar at 6 percent versus Williams at 51 percent. An Emerson College poll in late May showed Williams at 56 percent and Rajkumar at 15 percent . Rajkumar lost the June 24, 2025, Democratic primary by more than 50 percentage points .
New York State Assembly, District 38 (2026)
In the 2026 cycle, Rajkumar faced her first contested Democratic primary for the Assembly seat since 2020. Her opponent was David Orkin, an immigrant rights attorney endorsed by the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America .
The race became contentious well before election day. In April 2026, Orkin's campaign filed a lawsuit in Queens Supreme Court alleging that Rajkumar's campaign had forged petition signatures. More than a dozen residents filed legal declarations swearing they had not signed her petitions. A Queens judge dismissed the lawsuit on procedural grounds without ruling on the substance of the fraud claims .
The Working Families Party's super PAC ran digital advertisements attacking Rajkumar's alleged ties to Hindutva organizations and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Hindu American Foundation condemned the ads as anti-Hindu hate .
Rajkumar's re-election campaign was endorsed by U.S. Congressman Gregory Meeks, State Senator John Liu, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Assembly Members Sam Berger and Nily Rozic, Council Member Lynn Schulman, 32BJ SEIU, and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council . Orkin received endorsements from the DSA, the Working Families Party, UAW Region 9A, OPEIU Local 153, the Organization of Staff Analysts Union, Council Member Jennifer Gutierrez, Make the Road Action, and DRUM Beats .
On June 23, 2026, Orkin defeated Rajkumar decisively. With more than 94 percent of the expected vote counted, Orkin received 58.8 percent to Rajkumar's 40.9 percent . With no significant general election opposition, Orkin was positioned to assume office in January 2027 .
Campaign Finance
Across her campaigns, Rajkumar demonstrated a capacity for fundraising from establishment Democratic networks. For the 2026 Assembly race, her campaign claimed to have raised approximately $300,000, though she did not participate in the state's matching funds program. Orkin raised approximately $69,000 and applied for an estimated $123,000 in matching funds .