Queens Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar — a close pal of Mayor Eric Adams — announced a new campaign to “better help a city in crisis” Monday after saying for months she planned to run for city comptroller.
Rajkumar’s pivot means the “Lady in Red” will instead seek the city’s public advocate post, challenging incumbent Jumanee Williams who has held the watchdog role since 2019.
“I am stepping up to serve on a bigger and broader platform that will allow me to better help a city in crisis. We need to take our City back from the incompetents and the extremists,” Rajkumar, a Democrat, said.
Rajkumar, 42, brings $275,000 to the race compared to Williams’ $69,000.
The civil rights attorney is a known strong ally of Adams, appearing at the mayor’s side wearing red during press conferences so often she was dubbed the “Lady in Red.”
But now she’s ready to see an overhaul of New York City politics, she told The Post.
“The politics of our city must change this 2025. Instead of being confined to just fiscal issues, you have a broader platform to address all pressing issues affecting our city,” Rajkumar said.
Rajkumar has served in the New York State Assembly since 2021 where she pushed for worker protections and passed a bill establishing the state’s first-ever Asian American & Pacific Island Commission.
The public advocate is a citywide elected position that serves as a direct link between the electorate and city government, providing oversight of government services and championing the voices of New Yorkers.
If the mayor steps down or is removed from office, the public advocate is next in the line of succession and would become acting mayor.
