Candidate launches ads in Arabic, Urdu
Asif Mahmood attacks Trump policies and courts a niche voter base in the race for lieutenant governor.
SACRAMENTO — Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Asif Mahmood has launched a social media campaign in Arabic and Urdu hoping to tap into what he sees as a potentially influential pool of voters in California’s Muslim and South Asian communities.
Mahmood, a Muslim immigrant from Pakistan and a Los Angeles physician, uses President Trump as a political foil in the Facebook ad campaign. Trump called for a “Muslim ban” when he was running for president, and a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June allowed a limited version of Trump’s 90-day ban on travel from six mostly Muslim countries to go into effect.
“As a Muslim immigrant from California, he’s a triple threat to Donald Trump. And he’s going to fight against Trump and stand up for our families,” the ads say in Arabic and Urdu.
The ads also tout Mahmood’s support for “healthcare for all Americans” and environmental protections.
Mahmood said in an interview that he hopes the social media campaign will get the attention of people from those communities who have not been active in politics.
“We’re trying to reach every community we can,” he said.
A 2015 census study found that more than 153,000 Californians spoke Arabic and just over 45,000 spoke Urdu.
In his bid for lieutenant governor, Mahmood faces a crowded field of Democrats that includes Azusa state Sen. Ed Hernandez; Eleni Kounalakis, former U.S. ambassador to Hungary; and Jeff Bleich, former U.S. ambassador to Australia.
phil.willon@latimes.com Twitter: @philwillon