State Assemblywoman Jennifer Rajkumar, a close aide to Mayor Eric Adams, launched an exploratory committee on Saturday to run for New York City Comptroller.
The move marks the first step in a potentially tough 2025 primary between the Queens Democrat and Brad Lander, who currently holds the city’s top financial manager job.
“We have the most expensive health care system in the world, the largest education system in the country, and New York City is the largest metropolitan economy in the world,” Rajkumar told the Post.
“Yet hardworking New Yorkers who work eight days a week, 25 hours a day and pay some of the highest taxes in the country are denied life-saving health care, a quality education and adequate transportation.”
“We’re not getting enough return on investment or accountability in government. This government inefficiency is costing lives. I can fix this. That’s why I’m considering running for New York City Comptroller.”
Rajkumar has been meeting trade union leaders, religious leaders and key Democratic Party figures to discuss the initiative.
Lander, a far-left progressive, has courted controversy for tying the city’s pensions to investments that prioritize environmental, social and governance issues, prioritizing social justice over maximizing shareholder value.
But that contest may never happen if Lander ends up challenging Adams himself in the mayoral primary, which The Washington Post previously reported he was planning to do.
The 2025 New York City Democratic Primary is scheduled for June 24, with the general election scheduled for November 4.
