Jumaane Williams (D) and Jenifer Rajkumar (D) 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.”



https://gothamist.com/news/jumaane-williams-and-jenifer-rajkumar-clash-in-fiery-nyc-public-advocate-debate