Jenifer Rajkumar, a Queens Democratic Assembly member and close ally of Mayor Eric Adams, officially launched her campaign in next year’s Democratic primary for city comptroller late Monday.
Rajkumar announced her bid via a video posted to her new campaign website on Monday afternoon. It followed Rajkumar filing an exploratory committee to run for comptroller earlier this summer.
The announcement also came on the heels of current city Comptroller Brad Lander recently throwing his hat into the 2025 mayor’s race, challenging Adams for the city’s top job.
In the video, Rajkumar — who has represented a south Queens district in Albany’s lower chamber since 2021 — built her campaign pitch on the idea that she would bring a different approach to the city’s traditionally no-frills fiscal watchdog role.
She appeared to suggest that she would focus on conducting audits that ensure New Yorkers get a better return on the taxes they pay — something that is already implicit in the comptroller’s job.
“Traditionally, the Comptroller is a man in an office crunching numbers, but I will make it so much more,” Rajkumar said, in a statement. “I am on the ground with the people in every corner of this city hearing firsthand how government is and isn’t working for them. Together, we will implement ‘the people’s audits’ of city government. Government inefficiency costs lives, and we will fix it.”
Rajkumar has gained notoriety over the past year for being a nearly constant presence at press conferences and other events hosted by Mayor Adams, no matter how far from or unrelated the affair is to her district.
At the events, she can often be spotted standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Adams, frequently sporting a red dress — which has led some to call her the “lady in red.”
When asked about Rajkumar, Adams has described her as a “real partner” and credited her for advancing some of his top legislative priorities in Albany, such as legislation making it easier for the city to padlock unlicensed cannabis sellers. Rajkumar embraced her proximity to Adams in her campaign launch.
“The way to make historic change that will outlive us for generations to come is through partnerships across government,” she said. “It is a joy working with my colleagues at all levels of government from the mayor to the governor to the state legislature to the City Council.”
Rajkumar would likely be a far friendlier comptroller to Adams than the current one. Lander has been a consistent thorn in the mayor’s side, conducting audits that find vast difficencies in the workings of his administration.
However, Rajkumar will face some stiff competition in the race for comptroller. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine has also filed to run for the post, according to published reports, although he has yet to make an official announcement.
The Assemblymember also quickly drew some harsh backlash to her campaign.
Shortly after launching her campaign website on Monday, jeniferforny.com, an unidentified critic put up their own site, jeniferrajkumar.com.
The site calls Rajkumar a “grifter, con artist, conservative and clout chaser,” and compiles a trove of negative headlines and links to unflattering news stories about the pol.
Yet, in a statement to Politico, Rajkumar appeared to shrug off the early criticism.
“There’s a lot of hate in the world right now,” she said. “Throw all your hate on me. I am here to heal, unite and lead this city.”
