DSA challenger accuses Rajkumar of petition fraud
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Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar’s election opponent is alleging in court that the incumbent’s petitions were riddled with forgeries and that she should be kicked off the June primary ballot. Eagle file photo by Ryan Schwach
By Ryan Schwach
David Orkin, a democratic socialist candidate for the State Assembly, alleged in a lawsuit that Queens Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar’s campaign forged petition signatures in an effort to get the incumbent on the ballot.
Orkin’s campaign filed a lawsuit in Queens Supreme Court on Thursday claiming that the vast majority of Rajkumar’s petitions should be tossed due to the alleged fraud found on petitions signed by seven different witnesses. The DSA member claimed that, should a judge rule in their favor, Rajkumar wouldn’t be left with enough signatures to make the ballot for the June primary election.
Rajkumar’s campaign described the suit as “meritless” and “mudslinging.” They also alleged – without evidence – that Orkin’s campaign submitted similarly fraudulent petitions.
The lawsuit was first reported by the political outlet, City & State.
According to the lawsuit, nine Queens residents had their signatures forged on Rajkumar’s petitions.
Among them was Cary Tilton, a prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America and a volunteer on Orkin’s campaign.
“You can imagine my shock and anger when I saw my own name on a Rajkumar petition sheet with a fraudulent signature,” Tilton said in a statement. “Signing this petition would fly in the face of every action and decision I’ve made in years and is an impossibility.”
Orkin also claimed that one of his neighbors’ names appeared three separate times on Rajkumar’s petitions.
Brought by Brooklyn election attorney Renée Paradis, the suit seeks to toss 70 percent of Rajkumar’s 2,500 total petitions by invalidating all the petitions signed by witnesses who also undersigned sheets where the alleged forgeries occurred.
In total, the Orkin campaign said they objected to around 2,300 of Rajkumar’s petitions because of the issues alleged in the suit and because of more run-of-the-mill irregularities like unreadable signatures.
If the suit and the objections are both successful, the five-year incumbent and first Indian-American woman elected to state office in New York would likely not make the ballot for her reelection campaign.
Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate David Orkin is accusing his opponent, Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar of forging signatures on her ballot petitions. Photo via Orkin Campaign
"Running for office is a privilege; one that I do not take lightly," said Orkin, an immigrant rights’ attorney and first-time candidate. "Our volunteer-led petitioning efforts connected our campaign directly with hundreds of residents in District 38 looking for a candidate who will stand up to corruption and fight for a more affordable city. We look forward to a swift and transparent review by the Board of Elections and Queens Supreme Court to ensure that election rules are applied fairly and that the voices of Queens’ voters are protected."
Rajkumar’s reelection campaign denied that their petitions included any fraudulent signatures.
“This lawsuit is a blatant political stunt from a DSA-backed campaign that knows it cannot compete on the ground,” said campaign spokesperson Arvind Sooknanan. “You cannot litigate your way out of weak grassroots support.”
“Team Jenifer looks forward to a resounding win at the ballot box, where the people of South Queens will reject these desperate tactics and stand with Jenifer’s relentless hard work, historic representation for underserved communities, and a leader who truly loves this job and the people she serves,” the campaign added.
Rajkumar’s campaign also said that it is unfair to single them out for any fraud, because it was not just her name on the petition.
The petition sheets in question were printed by the Queens Democratic Party, and included other candidates for district leader and judge, as well as congressional candidate Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, according to the Rajkumar campaign.
The incumbent’s campaign has filed general objections against Orkin’s petitions, and is also echoing currently unproven claims of fraud levied against the socialist’s campaign by a group called Latinos Against Socialism.
The group did not respond to a request for more information about their allegations on Friday.
Sooknanan, Rajkumar’s campaign spokesperson, said the campaign doesn’t intend to bring a suit against Orkin.
“We will win this at the ballot box,” Sooknanan said.
This is not the first name Rajkumar has been embroiled in accusations of fraudulent petitions.
In 2022, several Queens residents told New York Focus that they did not sign petitions that boosted Rajkumar and former City Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley in her failed bid for the State Senate.
The 2026 race for Rajkumar’s District 38, which includes Ridgewood, Glendale and parts of Woodhaven south of Forest Park, is one of the more closely watched in the borough.
Rajkumar rose to prominence as a staunch ally of former Mayor Eric Adams, a frequent target of the DSA.
She attempted to run for comptroller last year before deciding instead to run for public advocate, losing to the incumbent, Jumaane Williams, by over 52 percentage points.
This is the first year Rajkumar has been challenged by a Democratic candidate for her seat.
She has not filed any official campaign funding yet because she is not participating in the state’s matching funds. Her campaign claims to have raised around $300,000.
Orkin’s camp has raised about $69,000 since the beginning of the campaign and is hoping to receive around $123,000 in matching funds.
Orkin was most recently a staff attorney at immigration non-profit Make the Road New York, and is one of several DSA members seeking to capitalize on the momentum of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s win in districts where the mayor performed well.
Mamdani won District 38 by 37 percentage points in last year’s Democratic primary, and by 21 percentage points in the general election.
