New York: Indian American Impact, the national organization dedicated to building political power for Indian and South Asian American communities, announced its endorsement of Vichal Kumar, public defender and Democratic candidate for New York's 7th Congressional District.
"Vichal has spent more than twenty years as a public defender standing up for immigrant families, working people, and communities that too often do not have their interests represented in Congress,” said Chintan Patel, Executive Director of Indian American Impact. “Indian and South Asian Americans are stepping up to build political power at every level of government, and Vichal's candidacy in New York's 7th District is an integral part of that story. We are proud to endorse him.”
Indian American Impact works to elect Indian and South Asian American candidates at every level of government and has backed winning campaigns for Congress, statewide office, and local government across the country.
"My parents came to this country and built a life behind the counter of a convenience store, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, and never once stopped looking out for their neighbors," said Kumar. "That is the South Asian story in Brooklyn and Queens: families who work, sacrifice, and serve their communities, and who deserve a government that fights as hard for them as they fight for each other. I am honored to have Impact in this fight with us."
The endorsement adds to growing support for Kumar from South Asian community organizations. Hindus for Human Rights Action endorsed Kumar in May and hosted a canvass on June 6, and South Asians for America endorsed him in April and hosted a postcard-writing event in Queens with first-generation voters on April 22.
The primary is June 23, with early voting running June 13 through June 21.
Vichal Kumar is a civil rights attorney and longtime public defender running for New York's 7th Congressional District. The son of working-class immigrants, Kumar has spent more than twenty years representing immigrant families, tenants, and working-class New Yorkers, and building institutions that deliver real outcomes for the people they serve. He began his legal career at The Bronx Defenders while attending Hofstra Law at night, went on to build the Civil Defense Practice at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, and most recently serves as Managing Director at Partners for Justice, where he scales community-driven programs across the country. He is a past President of the South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA) and the South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY). His campaign does not accept super PAC, corporate PAC, or special interest money. Learn more at kumar4ny.com.
