She is the first South Asian-American woman ever elected to a New York State office.[2] Rajkumar is known as the “Lady in Red”for her frequent public appearances in red attire.[3] In January 2025,Rajkumar announced her campaign for New York City Public Advocate calling for a "complete overhaul of city government" and "a new brand of public service".[4][5] Rajkumar was known as one of Mayor Eric Adams' closest allies in the New York State Legislature,[6][7][8][9][10][11] but she declined to endorse him for re-election.[12][13][14][15]
Rajkumar previously practiced law as an attorney and worked as an adjunct professor of political science at CUNY's Lehman College in the Bronx.[when?][19][20] In 2014,Rajkumar was accused of engaging in "gross plagiarism" by Newman Ferrara LLP in a tenant's rights case,but the motion for disqualification was withdrawn after an agreement between the firm and Sanford Heisler,where Rajkumar served as of counsel.[21]
In December 2021,mayor-elect Eric Adams appointed Rajkumar as a senior advisor on his transition team.[24]
New York State Assembly tenure
Rajkumar led and won passage of her bill establishing Diwali as a school holiday in New York City Public Schools.[1] Rajkumar also authored and passed the SMOKEOUT Act,shutting down illegal smokeshops proliferating around New York.[25]
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.[26] 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.[1] She also serves on the following Assembly Committees:Judiciary,Veterans' Affairs,Committee on Aging,Consumer Affairs,and Small Business.[1]
Political campaigns
2011 District Leader race
Rajkumar speaking at a rally as a district leader in 2012
She ran for the New York State Assembly in the 65th District,[40] 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.[41] Rajkumar finished second in a six-way Democratic primary;the winner,Yuh-Line Niou,went on to win in the general election in November.[42]
2020 State Assembly race
Rajkumar ran in the primary for the 38thNew 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.[43] Rajkumar was endorsed by California Congressman Ro Khanna in February 2020.[44] In May 2020,City &Statecriticized Rajkumar alongside a slate of other candidates for carpetbagging across multiple primaries and elections.[45]
Rajkumar defeated Miller and De Jesus in the June 2020 Democratic primary and won over Giovanni Perna in the November general election.[46]
Writing for City and State in May,Sophie Krichevsky called the race "weird",describing Rajkumar as a long shot based on public polling showing a landslide victory for Williams and describing the race as "an out of the spotlight,lopsided and weirdly acrimonious race with plenty of mudslinging and millions in campaign cash".[51]
Rajkumar and Williams participated in a debate on June 6 hosted by PIX11,where Rajkumar accused Williams of covering up an active investigation into a former staffer's accusation that she was drugged and assaulted by security detail in the Public Advocate's office and said he should "think about resigning".[52][53]
In the June 24 Democratic primary election,Rajkumar was handily defeated by Williams;placing second with 18.7% of the vote according to unofficial election night results.[54]
↑ Coltin, Jeff (January 6, 2025). "New York lawmaker to shake up citywide race for public advocate". Politico. Retrieved February 20, 2025. Rajkumar, a centrist Democrat,is one of Adams' closest allies in the state Legislature and regularly appears at his public events far outside her central Queens district.
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