Jumaane Williams, Jenifer Rajkumar face off in debate on PIX11

NEW YORK (PIX11) — With polling numbers showing New Yorkers have a clear favorite for public advocate, one Democratic lawmaker will try to upset incumbent Jumaane Williams for the office.
Williams and fellow state Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar will take the debate stage on June 5 at 7 p.m.
The debate will air live on PIX11, PIX11.com, and the PIX11+ smartTV app starting at 7 p.m. The primary election is on June 24.
Williams was elected public advocate in 2019. He is currently about a 51% favorite among Democratic voters in New York, compared to 6% for Rajkumar, according to an April poll by Empire Report.
During his tenure, Williams has passed key bills to fight housing discrimination, increase taxes, and protect New Yorkers in the workplace, according to his campaign.
Prior to becoming the public advocate, Williams fought against the NYPD's use of stop and frisk by sponsoring the Community Safety Act.
'Throughout his over decade of service in government, Jumaane never stopped standing with marginalized communities to fight for justice and equity for all, and has never been afraid to put his body on the line. He has been arrested more than any other sitting elected official in New York, standing up for women's rights, immigration rights, housing rights, and more,' according to his campaign.
Assemblywoman Rajkumar was the first South Asian-American woman elected to a New York state office and fought to make Diwali a school holiday in New York City.
In January, Rajkumar announced she was ditching a run for NYC comptroller to join the public advocate race. The lawyer said the violence and affordability crisis have weakened the Democratic party.
'We need fresh, new leadership that focuses on realistic solutions over lifeless ideology and on decisive action over performative rhetoric. We need to bring a new standard of excellence to government, where inadequacy is a choice, not the status quo,' she wrote in City and State.
Have questions for the candidates? Submit them by commenting on PIX11's social media accounts, including X, Instagram and Facebook.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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