The progressive political action committee’s subsidiary Emgage Action named Democratic Virginia Lieutenant Governor candidate Ghazala Hashmi and Democratic New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani “star candidates.”
Emgage Action Inc., listed as an independent expenditure filer, is connected to Emgage Federal Political Action Committee, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. The organization also claims to be one of the largest Muslim political groups in the U.S. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Virginia Democrat Ghazala Hashmi Admits She Doesn’t Care If Kids Access Sexually Explicit Material)
Its subsidiary website, Defend and Advance, features both Hashmi and Mamdani as “star candidates.” Defend and Advance is an Emgage Super PAC campaign. “We back leaders who champion justice, protect human rights, and strengthen democracy at home and abroad,” it reads.
Defend and Advance has been proudly supporting Zohran for months—and now you can join us in making a real difference. Every contribution helps keep this movement strong. Donate today: https://t.co/1rzTQpJ5dM pic.twitter.com/UWc6b51v41
— Defend and Advance (@Defend_Advance) August 13, 2025
Defend and Advance said they “proudly” supported Mamdani for months in an August post on X and has used social media posts to solicit contributions for his campaign. Emgage Action has backed “Squad” members like Democrat Reps. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan as well as former Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman.
Emgage Action’s website also falsely claims that President Donald Trump failed to condemn white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia. “White nationalist groups are watching — and they know exactly who has their back. In his first term, Donald Trump refused to condemn white nationalists, infamously calling them ‘very fine people’ after the deadly Charlottesville rally,” they write. (RELATED: Snopes Finally Corrects The Record On Notorious Trump Hoax — Seven Years Later Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally In Philadelphia)
During an August 2017 news conference following violent demonstrations over the removal of a Confederate statue, Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides,” referring to both protesters and counter-protesters. He then clarified that he was not referring to neo-Nazis or white nationalists, who he said ought to be “condemned totally.”
The organization declared in August 2023 that Trump was “a very real threat to the democratic foundation of the United States” and expressed support for the legal actions against him to “hold him accountable for the damage he has caused,” according to a statement.
The SuperPAC markets itself as educating and mobilizing Muslim Americans for collective action to support “pluralistic democracy” and advocate for issues facing Muslims.
The Emgage Action announced its endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris in September 2024, despite sharp criticism of her stance on the Middle East, according to an NBC News report. The group’s leader said defeating President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election was their top priority.
Donald Trump’s legacy is one of hatred and division, and we cannot forget that he once called for the death penalty of the Exonerated Five—innocent Black and brown boys—and has never apologized. New York City Councilmember @dr_yusefsalaam shares with us how Trump’s dangerous… pic.twitter.com/TPhvfq9JxX
— Emgage Action (@EmgageAction) September 26, 2024
“We feel it’s our obligation to speak truthfully to our communities as they grapple with perhaps the most difficult electoral choice they’ve ever had to make,” Emgage Action CEO Wa’el Alzayat said. “We are very clear-eyed and honest that the vice president still has a ways to go, but we feel there’s a fighting chance to move her on those issues and prevent the very real threat of a Donald Trump presidency.”
However, former President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza deepened frustration among American Muslim and Arab voters. The resulting backlash eroded Democratic support and ultimately played a key role in former Harris’s failure to reclaim the White House.
The group previously endorsed Biden in 2020 after Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders threw his support behind him, according to Politico. Emgage cited Biden’s commitment to shutting down Trump’s first-term travel ban on multiple majority-Muslim countries, raising the cap for bringing in refugees and immigration reform as reasons for their move.
/They can’t attack Zohran’s ideas and merit, so they attack his identity.@andrewcuomo, @JDVance, @StephenM, @RepFine & @LauraLoomer, along with others from the far-right, are using anti-Muslim bigotry and fear-mongering against Zohran.
Bigotry isn’t debate. It’s cowardice. pic.twitter.com/gXr2KK8vFO
— Defend and Advance (@Defend_Advance) October 27, 2025
The PAC previously issued a statement when Biden selected Harris as his running mate in August 2020, immediately highlighting her race. “Harris is now the first Black and South Asian American woman to run on a major political party’s presidential ballot,” they said. (RELATED: John Reid Rips ‘Fake’ Hashmi Ad Accusing Him Of Wanting To ‘Destroy’ Public Schools)
Alzayat also gave a statement at the time. “We hope that this signifies, under a Biden administration, an era of unprecedented diversity and representation of minority communities in our government. We are hopeful that Biden and Harris will work together to cultivate an America that is just and equitable for all peoples,” he said.
Hashmi, currently a state senator, revealed she doesn’t “really care” if children have access to explicit material in schools amid a 2023 Public Education Subcommittee discussion on Senate Bill SB1463. The bill that would require parental advisory labels being on books containing sexually explicit content that are accessible to minors in all public and school libraries in Virginia.
“We seem to focus on sexual explicit material. I don’t really care about that,” she said in the meeting.
The comments resurfaced after Republican Lt. Gov. candidate John Reid held a mock debate with a AI-generated stand-in for Hashmi after he said the Democrat refused to have a debate with him.
The Daily Caller has reached out to Defend and Advance and the campaigns of Hashmi and Mamdani for comment.
Editor’s note: Article has been updated with previous reporting by the Daily Caller on Hashmi.
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