Biden gets nod from top Muslim group that endorsed Sanders

A top left-leaning Muslim group that previously endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary is now endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

The Associated Press reported Monday that a letter sent out by Emgage Action, the largest Muslim political group in the country, called for voters to support Biden’s campaign against President Trump and featured other endorsements from prominent American Muslims, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a Sanders supporter.

“Joe Biden’s presence serves not only to galvanize Muslim Americans to cast their ballots, but to usher in an era of engaging with Muslim American communities under a Biden administration,” said Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Action, according to the AP.

“We anticipate that a Biden administration would provide Muslim American communities platforms to speak on issues affecting us, represent us within the administration and in policymaking discourses,” Alzayat continued.

The letter referred to Trump’s defeat in November as the group’s “number one goal,” citing top issues relevant to American Muslims, including Trump’s ban on travel from several Muslim-majority nations.

A spokesperson for the Biden campaign told the AP that Muslims could have an “outsized” impact at the voting booth this fall. Large Muslim communities exist in some key battleground states sought by both Trump and Biden’s campaign this fall, including Michigan and Minnesota.

“A Biden presidency offers Muslims an opportunity to be engaged with government, rather than being shut out like many other groups that have been alienated and demonized by the Trump administration,” said a Biden campaign official. “Muslim communities can have an outsized impact in many states and we are working every day to earn their support.”