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Fake websites are turning an NYC political race real ugly
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Aug 14, 2024
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Scott Heins/Getty Images (left), Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images (right)
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Aug 14, 2024
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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.”
Another likely entrant in the field, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, does not appear to have become the target of a parody site. Like Brannan, he has filed fundraising paperwork but has not officially launched a campaign.
The mudslinging comes while the primary contest is still more than 10 months away. But the jockeying for the seat — which oversees the city’s finances and audits city agencies — intensified after current Comptroller Brad Lander announced he’d forgo a re-election bid and instead run to unseat Adams as mayor.
It’s unclear who is behind the websites. According to ICANN, the organization that oversees domain names on the internet, the website hosting the Rajkumar attacks was created in June. The domain name for the Brannan site dates back to December 2023.
Neither site impressed political strategists as the work of a professional political opposition group.
“It looks very amateur,” said Chris Coffey, a Democratic strategist who speculated that disgruntled constituents created the sites. “You get people in the district who don’t like a particular elected official. They have an ax to grind and this is how they do it.”
Coffey doubted that either website would have much of an effect on the race.
“In order for these to be successful you have to strike at the zeitgeist and it’s hard to see the comptroller race as being at the zeitgeist,” he said. “There’s a presidential race right now.”
Both candidates appeared unruffled by the attacks.
Asked who he thought the perpetrator might be, Brannan replied via text, “Some hater.” He declined to say more about the site beyond, “Haters gonna hate.”
Rajkumar framed the site against her as fuel for motivation.
“The more haters hate, the more powerful Team Jenifer becomes,” she said in a statement. “There is a lot of hate in the world right now, but I am laser-focused on building bridges, uniting the city, and making government work better for everyday New Yorkers.”
Tagged
new york city
Politics
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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