Fake websites are turning an NYC political race real ugly

The race for New York City’s next comptroller took an ugly turn this week as Democratic candidates entered the fray – and parody campaign sites surfaced to mock and attack them.

Jenifer Rajkumar, an assemblymember from Queens known for her recurring appearances at Mayor Eric Adams’ events, launched her campaign on Monday after opening an exploratory committee last month. Justin Brannan, the chair of the City Council Finance Committee, filed paperwork to begin fundraising on Tuesday. They are being respectively pilloried by two websites: JeniferRajkumar.com and Brannan.nyc.

The Rajkumar site calls her a “grifter,” “con artist” and “clout chaser” and features a list of negative stories and social media, while the one about Brannan contains a roughly 20-second video edit with a right-wing bent, criticizing him for supporting spending on migrant care and voting to decrease police spending. (The police funding cut was eventually restored, and personnel funding in Brannan’s local precinct actually increased.)

Both sites attack the candidates by connecting them to another city official. “Eric Adams 2.0,” reads the Rajkumar site. The Brannan video notes: “Brannan was endorsed by Mayor Eric Adams in 2023 for City Council.”



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