Rajkumar makes comptroller run official

Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar is officially in. The Queens legislator launched a campaign website and video for her bid for the comptroller’s seat next year – a seat that is likely to be vacated by Brad Lander, who is set to run in the Democratic primary against Rajkumar’s close ally, Mayor Eric Adams, next year. “I’m in it for the New Yorkers who toil 25 hours a day, eight days a week, and can’t afford life-saving health care or quality education,” Rajkumar says in her campaign video. “Government inefficiency costs lives.”

Rajkumar, who opened a campaign account to run for comptroller earlier this summer, has been a constant presence at press events with Adams, even those far outside her district. That’s elevated her profile, as have some recent legislative victories, including a bill to make it easier to close smoke shops in the city. Rajkumar’s alliance with the mayor could help her draw in parts of his base on the campaign trail, though she may have to strike a balance in pointing out the ways that the city government is run inefficiently when it’s Adams who runs the city government.