Pennsylvania attorney general candidate Joe Khan announced endorsements from Clean Air Action, the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance and Second Generation PAC, the political organization that promotes candidates from immigrant communities.
“The coalition built by Barack Obama (who taught Joe in law school) is unraveling before our eyes,” said Majid Alsayegh, chair of Second Generation. “As a first-generation American whose family includes Muslim, Jewish and Christian relatives, Joe is unique in his ability to understand the needs of communities who feel the Democratic Party doesn’t value them and can provide healing and inspiration at a time when we need it most.”
“Our Asian American communities across the state want leaders who will work with us to build a Pennsylvania that is safe, welcoming and fair,” API PA said in a statement. “And we trust Joe Khan to be that leader.”
Khan, the son of a Pakistani-Indian immigrant, would be the first Asian American elected statewide in Pennsylvania history.
The endorsements follow Khan’s national support from IMPACT, a South Asian advocacy and political action committee.
Clean Air Action said in a statement, “We are so proud to support Joe’s campaign because we need a champion who will stand up to corporate greed and political corruption. He is the only candidate who will fight for Pennsylvanians’ civil rights — including their environmental rights — and win.”
As Bucks County solicitor, Khan enforced Pennsylvania’s environmental rights amendment, taking legal action to prevent fracking in the Delaware River Basin and launching a lawsuit against manufacturing giants 3M, DuPont and Tyco, claiming they polluted Bucks County’s water and soil with PFAS chemicals.
“Pennsylvania should be a global leader in protecting our Earth,” Khan said. “I’m running for this office for the sake of my kids, and this is the issue that I most need to address for their future. I believe that my 24-year legal career has uniquely prepared me to take on this role.”
Khan has also been endorsed by Philadelphia’s 5th Ward.
Khan and his two sons, Sam and Nathan, live in the Central Bucks School District. For 10 years, he served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He began his career in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and ran for DA in 2017. He is a partner at Curtin and Heefner in Bucks County.
Khan is one of five Democrats running for attorney general. The others are state Rep. Jared Solomon, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale and former Defender Association of Philadelphia chief Keir Bradford-Grey.
Candidates running in the Republican primary are state Rep. Craig Williams and York County District Attorney Dave Sunday. ••
