On April 22, the Muslim Democratic Club of New York voted overwhelmingly to endorse Vincent Gentile in his campaign to represent New York’s 11th Congressional District.
The club is comprised of several hundred members, whose mission is to mobilize and empower the American Muslim community in New York City by nurturing a culture of civic participation. They meet citywide, but have recently met regularly in Bay Ridge as a result of the CD11 election. The club made the endorsement last week after a visit from the councilman, citing his legislative experience and his history of supporting the community’s priority issues.
“CD11 is a priority district for our club. With tens of thousands of Muslims in the area, we are concentrating a lot of efforts and resources towards organizing and engaging voters here. ” said Mohammad Khan, an officer of the club. “Councilmember Gentile is the better candidate for the seat, especially given his opponent’s demonstrated lack of knowledge of local and national issues.”
The group released the following statement as part of their endorsement:
“Both as a councilmember and throughout his campaign, Vincent Gentile has shown leadership on issues that impact the Muslim community. He stood up for New Yorkers’ constitutional rights by speaking out against the NYPD’s wholesale surveillance of Muslim communities. He supports real immigration reform and creating a pathway for undocumented residents. He understands the economic hardships facing middle class families and supports raising the federal minimum wage. Locally, he has proactively addressed the growing issue of opioid abuse and overdoses in Staten Island and Southwest Brooklyn.”
The club began conducting GOTV efforts over the weekend, and will be holding a “MuslimVOTE” phone bank tonight from 6pm- 9pm.