Jumaane Williams and Jenifer Rajkumar clash in fiery NYC public advocate debate

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams squared off in a contentious debate Thursday with Democratic primary challenger Jenifer Rajkumar, a state assemblymember from Queens who tried to paint the incumbent as deeply uninterested in the job.

Williams, a Brooklyn Democrat who is far ahead in public polling, used much of the PIX11 debate to cast himself as the more experienced candidate who knows how to use all the available levers of the city’s second-highest office, which he’s held since 2019.

Rajkumar, meanwhile, repeatedly and aggressively tried to land verbal blows against the front-runner by attacking his record, his ambition, and even his routine, accusing Williams no fewer than four times of sleeping through the morning.

“I believe that Jumaane Williams sleeps until noon and then writes a press release attacking the mayor,” Rajkumar said. “That is not enough.”

Williams touted his record and knowledge of the office and, in an appeal directly to Democratic voters toward the end of the debate, invoked their fears over the current occupants of both the White House and Gracie Mansion.

“ You're worried about Donald Trump, you're worried about [Mayor Eric Adams],” Williams said. “You can count on an advocate that you know will stand up for you, transparently and with courage.”

Rajkumar has been in the Assembly since 2020. A close ally of Adams, she launched a bid for city comptroller last year before switching gears and entering the public advocate primary.

But she’s struggled to break through in a race that also includes retired insurance executive Marty Dolan, who hasn’t waged much of a campaign and did not meet the fundraising threshold to qualify for the debate.

Williams holds a substantial lead in the polls, with 56% of Democratic primary voters supporting him as their first choice in an Emerson College poll released last week. Rajkumar came in a distant second with 15%, just ahead of Dolan’s 13%.

From the start of Thursday’s debate, Rajkumar tried to go on the offensive against the incumbent.

When asked if she could name an area where she disagrees with Adams, Rajkumar touted her credentials as a Stanford-educated lawyer before saying she and Adams disagreed on mental health issues.

She then quickly attempted to pivot to recent accusations from a Williams staff member who claims she was drugged and assaulted by Williams’ security detail, which quickly drew a rebuke from the moderators.

At other points, she repeated her line that Williams “sleeps until noon” in an attempt to portray him as a do-nothing public advocate.

“ The people of New York City deserve more than that,” she said. “They deserve someone that's going to focus on the issues. Someone who’s going to deliver results. And that is why I'm here running.”

Rajkumar’s repeated comments about Williams’ sleep habits drew a rebuke from Williams, a Black man who suggested Rajkumar, an Indian American woman, was trafficking in racial stereotypes.

“I have a toddler,” Williams said. “I wish I could sleep until noon.”

When the topic of Williams’ staffer came up, the public advocate said he referred the matter to the appropriate city authorities for investigation and hired an outside firm to conduct a probe.

The staff member, Ysabel Abreu, delivered a statement to media members last week detailing the alleged incident at an office holiday party in December, which Williams said remains under investigation.

Rajkumar accused Williams of covering the incident up and should “think about resigning.” Williams pushed back.

“I want to be clear that there’s an investigation happening right now on at least three fronts, and we haven’t found any substantive evidence about that,” he said.

The public advocate is a citywide watchdog role that can introduce and sponsor bills in the City Council, but cannot vote on them.

The position has previously served as a launching pad for higher office. Former public advocates Bill de Blasio and Letitia James were later elected mayor and state attorney general, respectively.

Primary Day is June 24. Early voting runs from June 14 to 22.