Jenifer Rajkumar
Jenifer Rajkumar | |
|---|---|
| District Leader of New York State Assembly District 65, Part C | |
| In office 2011–2017 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1982 (age 41–42) New York City |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Queens, NY |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania (B.A.) Stanford Law School (J.D.) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Jenifer Rajkumar (born 1982) is an American politician, community leader and human rights lawyer. Rajkumar is a Democrat in New York City.[1]
Early life and education
Rajkumar was born and raised in New York. She is the daughter of immigrants from India who came to the United States with just $300 and a suitcase, first settling in Queens.[2]
She is a graduate of Stanford Law School with pro bono distinction and the University of Pennsylvania, magna cum laude, and graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. At Penn, she received the Alice Paul Award for exceptional community service.[3]
Political career
2011 District Leader race
In 2011, Rajkumar won the race to be District Leader of the 65th District of the New York State Assembly, beating out a 28-year incumbent with over 70% of the vote.[4] She has since been re-elected to that office two more times, in 2013 and 2015.[5] As district leader, Rajkumar led the effort to bring M9 bus service back to Battery Park City 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.[6]
Rajkumar was accused by the rival law firms for plagiarizing their legal documents in a $100 million legal battle against her apartment complex. When she began coorporating with these firms, the accusation was withdrawn.[7]
2013 City Council race
In 2013, Rajkumar ran for the New York City Council in the Democratic primary in New York City's first Council district, losing to incumbent Margaret Chin.[8] During the campaign, Rajkumar came under fire by the New York Post for falsifying a non-profit organization she claimed to be the head of to burnish her political resume. [9]
2016 State Assembly race
She ran for the New York State Assembly in the 65th District,[10] as the seat was occupied by Alice Cancel, who won a special election on April 19, 2016, to replace Sheldon Silver, who was convicted of corruption and expelled from the Assembly in 2015 (Silver's conviction was overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on July 13, 2017).[11][12][13] [14]
Rajkumar finished second in a six-way Democratic primary, the winner, Yuh-Line Niou, went on to win in the general election in November.[15]
2020 State Assembly race
Rajkumar is running for the 38th 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.[16]
In April 2020, Rajkumar faced her competitor’s opposition for conducting a door-knocking campaign amid-COVID-19.[17]
New York Department of State
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.[18][19]
Other activities
Rajkumar is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at CUNY's Lehman College in the Political Science Department.[20] Her teaching interests include immigration and government corruption.
Rajkumar is a regular panelist on PBS' To the Contrary. On the program, she has joined members of Congress and prominent national policy advocates in debating income inequality, health care, and human rights.[21]
Rajkumar serves on the Legal Advisory Council of Sanctuary for Families, New York City's leading service provider and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and related forms of gender violence. She previously served on the national board of directors of the Women's Campaign Fund, which seeks to increase the number of women in elected office locally and nationally, and she currently serves on the Advisory Council of WIN.NYC.[22]
References
- ^ "Coalition of Women Back Rajkumar For Silver's Seat". TWC News: NY State of Politics. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ^ "Not Just Jenny From the Block". The New York Times Blog. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
- ^ "About Jenifer". Jenifer For NYC. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
- ^ "You Should Run: Advancing Social Justice by Running for Office". Harvard Law School. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Manhattan Democrats District Leaders". Manhattan Democratic Party. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "District Leader Rajkumar Kicks Off Campaign for Assembly Seat". The Broadsheet. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Indian American attorney Jenifer Rajkumar at the center of a $100 million lawsuit in New York". American Bazaar Online. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Downtown Democratic Council Primary Results". DNA Info. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
- ^ https://nypost.com/2013/05/28/this-over-achieving-beauty-is-running-for-city-council-as-head-of-non-profit-thats-only-skin-deep/
- ^ "Rajkumar Announces Campaign for Assembly". Bowery Boogie. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
- ^ Weiser, Benjamin (13 July 2017). "Sheldon Silver's 2015 Corruption Conviction Is Overturned". Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Democrat Alice Cancel Wins Sheldon Silver's Old NYS Assembly Seat". CBS New York. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Alice Cancel, Sheldon Silver's Chosen Successor, Takes His Assembly Seat". Observer. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
- ^ "Silver crony Alice Cancel wins his state Assembly seat". The New York Post. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
- ^ "Niou set to be new Assemblymember for Downtown – DOWNTOWN EXPRESS". www.downtownexpress.com. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/campaigns-elections/nyc-assembly-primary-challengers-who-are-raising-big-money.html
- ^ https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/campaigns-elections/if-they-cant-knock-doors-how-do-candidates-get-face-time.html
- ^ "Human Rights Attorney Jenifer Rajkumar Named to New Post in New York Department of State". Retrieved 2017-08-30.
- ^ "Jenifer Rajkumar: Director of Immigration Affairs & Special Counsel, New York Department of State". Retrieved 2017-08-30.
- ^ "Jenifer Rajkumar - Lehman College of CUNY - Academia.edu". Academia.edu. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
- ^ "To The Contrary Panelists: Jenifer Rajkumar". PBS. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
- ^ "Campaign 2013: Our Interview With City Council Candidate Jenifer Rajkumar". The Lo-Down. Retrieved 2016-06-19.