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New York State Assembly District 38
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David Orkin
Democratic PartySTH · NY · District 38
New York State Assembly District 38
STH · NY · District 38
New York State Assembly District 38
Vassar College—BA; CUNY School of Law—JD
Data last updated 10/21/2026
David Orkin is an immigrant workers’ rights attorney, union organizer, and democratic socialist running for New York State Assembly District 38. He worked at Make the Road NY representing low-wage immigrant workers in wage theft, harassment, retaliation, and other workplace matters, and served on the bargaining committee of UAW Local 2320–NOLSW, helping negotiate a first contract with raises for the lowest-paid staff, a free healthcare option, and a 35-hour work week.
Committee Assignments: No committee assignments available.
David Orkin supports a universal-healthcare agenda for New York, including the New York Health Act, Coverage for All for low-income immigrants, and repeal of the Global Medicaid Cap. He also supports lowering prescription-drug costs, ending insulin co-pays, and improving pay and working conditions for home-care workers.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Orkin says he will fight for the New York Health Act to create universal health care for all New Yorkers statewide.
SourceBranch's candidate profile for David Orkin in New York Assembly District 38 lists support for reducing prescription-drug costs and eliminating insulin co-pays.
SourceIn the VOTE411 guide for New York Assembly District 38, Orkin states that his budget priority includes taxing the rich to fund universal health care.
SourceNYIC Action lists David Orkin as its endorsed Assembly District 38 candidate after stating that endorsed legislative candidates must pledge to champion its issue-area vision, including creating healthy communities.
SourceJFREJ's voter guide says David Orkin has worked with JFREJ in support of Fair Pay for Home Care and is endorsed by Caring Majority Rising.
SourceDavid Orkin’s Economy & Jobs platform centers on taxing wealthy New Yorkers and corporations to fund public services, raising wages, strengthening labor protections, and creating union and green-infrastructure jobs for AD-38 residents. He also emphasizes protections for low-income, immigrant, gig, app-based, and public-sector workers, including wage-theft enforcement, minimum-wage increases, and pension reform.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Orkin supports raising New York’s minimum wage to $30 by 2030 as part of a broader labor agenda for living wages and safer working conditions.
SourceOrkin says he would pass the EmPIRE Worker Protection Act so workers and labor unions can directly recover unpaid wages from employers instead of relying only on the Department of Labor.
SourceOrkin lists taxing the rich as a top priority, saying he would fight for a fairer tax code on wealthy residents and profitable corporations to fund services for working-class New Yorkers.
SourceOrkin supports better protections for gig and app-based workers, including an hourly minimum wage, anti-retaliation protections, and just-cause termination rules.
SourceOrkin says he would create well-paying AD-38 jobs by fighting to build QueensLink, supporting a green-energy transition, revitalizing Atlantic and Jamaica Avenues, and pushing development agencies to incentivize local hiring.
SourceDavid Orkin presents immigration as a core campaign issue, emphasizing protection of immigrant neighbors from ICE, expanded sanctuary protections, and limits on data sharing that enables immigration enforcement. He also supports the New York for All Act and broader immigrant-rights goals including abolishing ICE and creating more pathways to citizenship.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Orkin says New York should protect immigrant neighbors from ICE by expanding local sanctuary protections and challenging federal practices that target immigrant communities.
SourceOrkin supports the New York for All Act, which would prohibit state and local agencies from assisting federal immigration officials.
SourceOrkin says New York should prevent data sharing at multiple levels, including private corporations selling personal data to the federal government for immigration enforcement purposes.
SourceNY Immigration Coalition Action endorsed Orkin after stating that endorsed state legislative candidates must pledge to champion its immigrant-community vision, including ending state support for detention and deportation.
SourceDavid Orkin supports a climate-and-energy agenda centered on publicly owned renewables, affordability through the NY HEAT Act, shutting down fossil-fuel peaker plants, implementing Cap-and-Invest, and refusing fossil-fuel money.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Orkin supports using union labor to create publicly owned renewable energy sources.
SourceOrkin supports passing the NY HEAT Act to end subsidies for fossil-fuel expansion and lower utility caps for low-income households.
SourceLead Locally says Orkin will fight in Albany to shut down polluting fossil-fuel peaker plants in New York City, transition them into clean-energy industry hubs, and support workers moving into clean-energy jobs.
SourceLead Locally says Orkin will fight to implement Cap-and-Invest to provide billions of dollars in clean-energy investments to classified disadvantaged communities in his district.
SourceOrkin’s campaign states that it does not accept fossil-fuel, real-estate, fascist, or corporate-lobby money.
SourceDavid Orkin supports fully funded public education from pre-K through college, including universal childcare, tuition-free CUNY/SUNY, and stronger public-school funding. He opposes charter-school expansion and says public tax dollars should prioritize public classrooms over private charter operators.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Orkin says he would fight to end charter school expansion and demand that state funding prioritize public schools over private charter operators.
SourceIn the VOTE411 guide for New York Assembly District 38, Orkin says his top budget priority is taxing the rich to fund universal childcare and fully funded public education, among other services.
SourceBranch's candidate profile for Orkin in New York Assembly District 38 reports that he supports making CUNY and SUNY tuition-free and wants universal childcare.
SourceIn a Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club questionnaire, Orkin answered yes to supporting a New York State proposal requiring public schools to teach about the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
SourceDavid Orkin frames public safety primarily around safer streets, immigrant safety, limits on surveillance, and LGBTQ+/sex-worker safety rather than expanded policing. He supports an AD-38 street safety plan with physical traffic-calming infrastructure, protections limiting cooperation with ICE, bans on biometric surveillance, and decriminalization-related measures.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Supports creating a district street safety plan for dangerous corridors such as Woodhaven Boulevard, Atlantic Avenue, Jamaica Avenue, and Myrtle Avenue, using protected bike and bus lanes, curb extensions, speed bumps, traffic lights, and hardened daylighting.
SourceTold the Queens Chronicle he wants state and city investment to make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, including more stop signs and speed bumps where residents feel unsafe walking.
SourceStreetsblog reported that Orkin supports improving cycling infrastructure and resists efforts to require licensure and registration of Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, contrasting that approach with enforcement-focused crackdowns.
SourceSupports the Ban the Scan slate to prohibit biometric surveillance by police, landlords, and schools as part of a public-safety and privacy agenda.
SourceSupports New York for All and related sanctuary measures, including provisions to ban informal cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE, which he describes as protecting immigrant neighbors from unlawful detention and deportation threats.
SourceVOTE411 Voter Guide
https://onyourballot.vote411.org/m/candidate-detail.do?id=73189417Fetched: biography, education, location
Hell Gate NYC
https://hellgatenyc.com/david-orkin-assembly-district-38-interview/Fetched: biography, age
Queens Ledger
https://queensledger.com/2026/03/11/david-orkins-vision-for-queens/Fetched: biography, location, education
Citizens Union
https://citizensunion.org/voters-guide/2026-primary-election/assembly-district-38/Fetched: biography, education
Transparency USA
https://www.transparencyusa.org/ny/race/new-york-state-assembly-district-38-74591Fetched: campaignFinance
Transparency USA
https://www.transparencyusa.org/ny/committee/david-for-queens-2026-580533/contributorsFetched: campaignFinance
FollowTheMoney.org
https://www.followthemoney.org/report-grid?dt=1&f-sch-id=1171731Fetched: campaignFinance
NYSUT Voter Guide
https://www.nysut.org/resources/special-resources-sites/voter-guide/endorsementsFetched: endorsements
Branch
https://www.branch.vote/races/2026-new-york-general-election-ny-state-state-representative-ny-state-house-38/candidates/david-orkinFetched: issuePositions
Jews For Racial & Economic Justice
https://www.jfrej.org/news/2026/06/jfrejs-november-2025-voter-guide-2Fetched: issuePositions
Democratic Left
https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/2026/05/29/david-orkin-wants-to-bring-his-advocacy-for-immigrant-workers-into-office/Fetched: issuePositions
Queens Chronicle
https://embed-rech-01.dialog.cm/queenschronicle/docs/queens_chronicle_05-21-26Fetched: issuePositions
The Indypendent
https://indypendent.org/2026/05/qa-dsa-backed-immigrant-rights-attorney-challenges-adams-ally-in-immigrant-heavy-queens-assembly-district-38/Fetched: issuePositions
Branch
https://www.branch.vote/races/2026-new-york-general-election-ny-state-state-representative-ny-state-house-38Fetched: issuePositions
Lead Locally
https://leadlocally.org/2026/06/we-need-ny-climate-leaders-now-more-than-ever/Fetched: issuePositions
Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club
https://jimowles.squarespace.com/news/candidate-answers-to-joldc-david-orkin-for-ny-assembly-district-38-2026Fetched: issuePositions
David Orkin for Queens campaign platform
https://www.david4queens.com/platformFetched: issuePositions
Queens Chronicle
https://embed-rech-01.dialog.cm/queenschronicle/docs/queens_chronicle_10-15-26Fetched: issuePositions
Streetsblog New York City
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/06/10/the-streetspac-bump-group-issues-nyc-endorsements-for-statehouse-racesFetched: issuePositions
Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club
https://jimowles.org/news/candidate-answers-to-joldc-david-orkin-for-ny-assembly-district-38-2026Fetched: issuePositions