NEW YORK CITY — David Orkin defeated incumbent New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar in the Democratic primary for State Assembly District 38 on June 23, 2026. Orkin secured 58.8% of the vote, while Rajkumar received 40.9%.

Rajkumar has represented State Assembly District 38 since 2021. She is the first South Asian woman elected to office in New York State. The district includes parts of Queens, specifically Ridgewood, Glendale, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, and Richmond Hill.

Orkin is an immigrant workers' rights attorney and union organizer. He identifies as a democratic socialist and his campaign platform centered on affordability and immigration. In a post on X in May, Orkin criticized Rajkumar, stating, "In the past several years, my opponent AM Rajkumar has walked in the Israel day parade but has said NOTHING against the war in Gaza, occupation of Palestine, or Islamophobic attacks faced by the people of New York."

Orkin said in an Instagram reel, "It's so incredibly meaningful to me to be running this race as an anti-Zionist Jew, to be one of the few anti-Zionist Jewish voices that is in an elected seat in the state government." He stated he would assert in the state legislature that "Criticizing Israel for genocide, demanding an end to the occupation, demanding an end to funding war abroad is not antisemitic." Orkin established a Jewish Voice for Peace chapter in Tucson, Arizona, in 2014. "I've been involved in the Jewish Palestine Solidarity Movement for 12, 13 years," Orkin told Democratic Left.

Orkin received endorsements from individuals including Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Organizations such as Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, JVP Action, and NYC Democratic Socialists for America also endorsed him. Rajkumar's endorsements included ActJew, an organization focused on combating antisemitism, the Queens Jewish Alliance, and Assemblymembers Sam Berger, Kalman Yeger, and Chuck Lavine. Rajkumar was a close political ally of former New York City Mayor Eric Adams and her campaign platform included a vow to combat antisemitism. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not endorse Orkin.

Orkin received over $290,000 in campaign contributions for the election cycle, including over $156,000 from the office of the state comptroller. Rajkumar received over $270,000 in campaign contributions, with $9,000 coming from health care executive Daniel Lowy. Following his victory, Orkin released a statement. "I have dedicated my life fighting for immigrants and workers, I am proud to have earned their support in this election, and I look forward to spending the rest of my life winning the beautiful and joyous lives we deserve," Orkin said.