David Orkin

David Orkin is an immigrant workers'-rights attorney and union organizer who describes himself as a democratic socialist. He defeated incumbent Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar in the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary and is the Democratic and Working Families Party candidate in November. According to his campaign website, he is running on affordability, protecting immigrants from ICE and strengthening workers' rights.[1][2][3][4]

According to his Ballotpedia survey, Orkin's mother immigrated from Tijuana, Mexico, and his father's family has deep roots in the Jewish community in the U.S.; he says he spent two years organizing against the militarization of the Arizona-Mexico border and for humanitarian aid along the Mexico-Guatemala border.[1] He holds a bachelor's degree from Vassar College (2013) and a law degree from CUNY School of Law (2022).[2] Orkin says he helped found the Tucson chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace; the New York Jewish Week dates the chapter's founding to 2014 and reports that he remained involved with the group afterward.[1][3]

He has worked as an immigrant workers'-rights attorney at Make the Road NY, where, in his words, he represented clients facing wage theft and employer abuse. Ballotpedia lists affiliations with Make the Road NY, UAW Local 2320 and the Democratic Socialists of America.[1][2][3] Orkin is an elected member of the bargaining committee of his union, UAW Local 2320, where he says he helped negotiate a first contract that included raises of more than $10,000 for the lowest-paid staff, a free healthcare option, and a 35-hour workweek.[1] He lives in Ridgewood, in a district his campaign website describes as including Ridgewood, Glendale, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill and Ozone Park. A campaign press release cited by the Queens Chronicle says he has organized in the immigrant rights movement for more than a decade, and that he launched his Assembly campaign on Jan. 7, challenging Rajkumar.[4][5]

In the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary Orkin received 58.8% of the vote (3,722 votes) to Rajkumar's 40.9% (2,588); Rajkumar had represented the district since 2021. His campaign website lists endorsements including NYC-DSA, the New York Working Families Party and UAW Region 9A.[2][3][4] The New York Jewish Week reported that he describes himself as an anti-Zionist Jew and that his platform centered on affordability and immigration.[3]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.