Jenifer Rajkumar: Relationships
Jenifer Rajkumar's political career has been shaped by a network of alliances, rivalries, and institutional relationships across New York's political landscape. The following section maps her key political relationships and their evolution over time.
Mayor Eric Adams
Rajkumar's most prominent and consequential political relationship was her alliance with Mayor Eric Adams. After Adams won the 2021 mayoral election, he appointed Rajkumar as a senior advisor on his transition team . The partnership deepened over the following years, with Rajkumar appearing at the mayor's press conferences and public events across all five boroughs, frequently outside her Queens district. In 2023, Adams joined Rajkumar for her Toast to the Great Women of Queens event, and their appearances together became a defining feature of both figures' public profiles .
Politico described Rajkumar as one of Adams' closest allies in the state legislature . The New York Times reported that she was often at the mayor's side and characterized her as one of his closest political allies . At the start of his January 2025 State of the City speech, Adams referenced a message Rajkumar had sent him that morning .
The relationship began to shift following Adams' federal indictment in September 2024. While most elected officials called for Adams' resignation, Rajkumar initially defended due process . By February 2025, as she launched her Public Advocate campaign, she declined to endorse Adams for reelection on Inside City Hall, marking a notable departure from her prior posture . During the Public Advocate debate in June 2025, she refused to say whether Adams had engaged in quid pro quo conduct, stating that the race was not about the mayor . Nevertheless, she acknowledged after the debate that Adams remained an ally .
Zohran Mamdani
Rajkumar and Mamdani were both elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020 as part of the same wave of insurgent candidates, and were widely described as the first South Asian Americans elected to the lower house of the state legislature . Their trajectories diverged sharply, however, with Mamdani aligning with the Democratic Socialists of America and progressive left, while Rajkumar positioned herself as a centrist Democrat allied with the establishment.
Mamdani's rising influence within Queens progressive politics became a significant factor in Rajkumar's political fortunes. During the 2026 primary cycle, the DSA slate associated with Mamdani actively worked to unseat Rajkumar. Mamdani had previously criticized Rajkumar for accepting donations from what he described as Hindu fascists . After Mamdani won the mayoral election in November 2025, Rajkumar congratulated him publicly, adding a light-hearted comment about showing up to his press conferences in red, since she had heard that the political left favored the color .
Governor Kathy Hochul
Rajkumar maintained a productive legislative relationship with Governor Hochul, who signed multiple Rajkumar-authored bills into law, including the domestic workers' rights package (2021), the crime victims compensation expansion (2022), the AAPI Commission (2023), the rail waste tarping bill (2023), the cybersecurity technology procurement bill (2025), and the property access modernization bill (2026) .
Governor Andrew Cuomo
Prior to her election to the Assembly, Rajkumar served in the Cuomo administration as Director of Immigration Affairs and Special Counsel. The governor appointed her to the role, in which she built and led the $31 million Liberty Defense Project 14.
U.S. Congressman Gregory Meeks
Meeks, the Queens County Democratic Party leader, endorsed Rajkumar's 2026 reelection campaign. His support reflected Rajkumar's alignment with the Queens Democratic establishment .
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie
Heastie appointed Rajkumar as Chair of the Subcommittee on Diversity in Law. Heastie also endorsed her 2026 reelection bid .
Queens Elected Officials
Multiple Queens elected officials endorsed Rajkumar across her various campaigns. State Senator Joseph Addabbo, Assembly Members David Weprin, Nily Rozic, and Sam Berger, and Council Member Lynn Schulman all endorsed her for Public Advocate. State Senator John Liu endorsed her 2026 reelection campaign .
Labor Unions
Rajkumar secured endorsements from 32BJ SEIU and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council for her 2026 reelection campaign. These endorsements reflected her positioning as a labor-aligned centrist within the Democratic Party .
Jumaane Williams
Williams was Rajkumar's opponent in the 2025 Public Advocate Democratic primary. The race turned contentious, with Rajkumar repeatedly characterizing Williams as the public absentee and accusing him of sleeping through mornings, failing to use the office's tools effectively, and covering up a serious incident involving his NYPD security detail . Williams responded by criticizing Rajkumar's inability to distance herself from Adams, labeling her a potential rubber stamp rather than a watchdog . Williams won the primary decisively .
David Orkin
Orkin, a DSA-endorsed immigrant rights attorney, challenged Rajkumar in the 2026 Assembly primary and defeated her with 58.8 percent of the vote. The race was marked by Orkin's petition fraud lawsuit against Rajkumar (dismissed on procedural grounds) and Rajkumar's characterization of the DSA campaign against her as rooted in hate and religious bigotry .
South Asian Political Community
Rajkumar's relationship with the South Asian political community in Queens was complex. She was celebrated as a trailblazer for being the first South Asian-American woman elected to state office and for her work on the Diwali holiday bill . However, progressive South Asian organizations including DRUM Beats and the collective Queens Against Hindu Fascism publicly opposed her, arguing that her alliances and positions did not serve the material interests of the communities she claimed to represent . The split within the South Asian political community in Queens became a visible test of whether ethnic representation or ideology would guide coalition-building .
Hindu American Foundation
The Hindu American Foundation defended Rajkumar against the WFP's ads linking her to Hindutva organizations, condemning the advertisements as anti-Hindu hate. The organization's advocacy on her behalf underscored her standing within mainstream Hindu-American organizational networks .