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Jenifer Rajkumar
American politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jenifer Rajkumar (born September 1, 1982) is an American politician and civil rights lawyer[1] serving as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 38th district. A Democrat, she represents the Queens neighborhoods of Glendale, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood, and Woodhaven.
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She is the first South Asian-American woman ever elected to a New York State Office.[2][3] Rajkumar is known as the “Lady in Red” for her frequent public appearances in red attire.[4] In January 2025, she announced that she would challenge incumbent Jumaane Williams for the position of New York City Public Advocate, calling for “A New Brand of Politics”[5] and a complete overhaul of City government.[6] She has been known as one of the closest allies of Mayor Eric Adams in the New York State Legislature,[7][8][9][10][11][12] but declined to endorse him for re-election.[13][14][15]
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Early life and education
Rajkumar was born and raised in Tarrytown in Westchester County.[16] Her parents are doctors who immigrated from India and first settled in Queens.[17] She is a graduate of Hackley School. Rajkumar earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.[citation needed].
Career
Rajkumar previously practiced law as a civil rights attorney and worked as an adjunct professor of political science at CUNY's Lehman College in the Bronx.[when?][18][19]
On February 6, 2017, Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed Rajkumar as the Director of Immigration Affairs and Special Counsel for the New York Department of State.[20]
In December 2021, Mayor-Elect Eric Adams appointed Rajkumar as a Senior Advisor on his Transition Team.[21]
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New York State Assembly
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Rajkumar is currently a member of the New York State Assembly from the 38th district, representing Queens neighborhoods of Glendale, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood, and Woodhaven. In 2020, Rajkumar became the first Indian-American woman ever elected to the New York State Legislature.[22]
New York State Assembly tenure
Assemblywoman Rajkumar led and won passage of her bill establishing Diwali as a School Holiday in New York City Public Schools.[23] Rajkumar also authored and passed the SMOKEOUT Act shutting down illegal smokeshops proliferating around New York.[24]
In her first term, Rajkumar passed a legislative package for domestic workers, securing them the full protections of the state human rights law, and expanding their paid family leave benefits.[25] Governor Hochul signed Rajkumar's legislative package into law in December 2021.[26] Rajkumar also passed a bill expanding benefits for victims of crime, which the Governor signed into law in June 2022.[27]
Rajkumar was appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Diversity in Law.[28] She also serves on the following Assembly Committees: Judiciary, Veterans' Affairs, Committee on Aging, Consumer Affairs, and Small Business.[29]
Political campaigns
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2011 District Leader race
In 2011, Rajkumar was elected female district leader for the 64th district Part C of the New York State Assembly,[30] defeating 28-year incumbent Linda Belfer with over 70% of the vote.[31][32] She was re-elected to that office two more times, in 2013 and 2015.[33] As district leader, Rajkumar led the effort to bring M9 bus service back to Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan and has worked closely with Democracy for Battery Park City, an organization which seeks representation for residents of the neighborhood on the board of the Battery Park City Authority.[34][35][36][37]
2013 City Council race
In 2013, Rajkumar ran for the New York City Council in the Democratic primary in the 1st district in Lower Manhattan, losing to incumbent Margaret Chin.[38] Rajkumar won 41.5% of the vote.[39][40] Rajkumar's campaign championed affordable housing and community-friendly development. She was endorsed by various organizations and unions, such as The Sierra Club, and local Allied Craftworkers and Ironworkers groups.[41]
2016 State Assembly race
She ran for the New York State Assembly in the 65th District,[42] as the seat was occupied by Alice Cancel, the winner of a special election on April 19, 2016, to replace Sheldon Silver, who was convicted of corruption and expelled from the Assembly in 2015.[43][44][45][46][47]
Rajkumar finished second in a six-way Democratic primary; the winner, Yuh-Line Niou, went on to win in the general election in November.[48]
2020 State Assembly race
Rajkumar ran in the primary for the 38th New York State Assembly district in Queens, which includes portions of the Glendale, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood, and Woodhaven neighborhoods, against incumbent Democrat Michael G. Miller and challenger Joey De Jesus.[49] Rajkumar was endorsed by California Congressman Ro Khanna in February 2020.[50] In May 2020, City & State criticized Rajkumar alongside a slate of other candidates for carpetbagging across multiple primaries and elections.[51]
Rajkumar defeated Miller and De Jesus in the June 2020 Democratic primary and won over Giovanni Perna in the November general election.[52]
2025 New York City Public Advocate campaign
On August 12, 2024, Rajkumar announced her campaign for New York City Comptroller in 2025.[16]
On January 27, 2025, she pivoted her campaign to Public Advocate, challenging incumbent Jumaane Williams in the Democratic primary.[53]
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Electoral history
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Personal life
See also
References
External links
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