[3] Schulman first became involved in politics when she campaigned for Bella Abzug, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York seeking election to the Senate.

[4][9] Schulman gained local notoriety for her healthcare advocacy, which she said "was born out of the HIV/AIDS movement" and later influenced by her breast cancer diagnosis during her 2021 City Council campaign.

[5][11][12] Schulman defeated eight other candidates in a June 2021 Democratic primary, the first cycle in which ranked choice voting was implemented in New York City.

She received 60.0 percent of the vote in the final round, and the results were certified the following month by the New York City Board of Elections.

[13][14] Schulman then advanced to the November 2021 general election, in which she defeated one candidate running on the Republican and Conservative party lines to win the position.

Schulman also sits on the committees on aging, criminal justice, education, fire and emergency management, and governmental operations, as well as the subcommittee on zoning and franchises.