California candidate for lieutenant governor uses Arabic and Urdu ads to 'reach every community we can'

California candidate for lieutenant governor uses Arabic and Urdu ads to 'reach every community we can'

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 this 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 both Arabic and Urdu.

The ads also tout his support for “healthcare for all Americans” and environmental protections.

Mahmood said in an interview he hopes the social media campaign will captivate people from those communities who have not been active in politics.

“We’re trying to reach every community we can,” he said.

Urdu is one of the official languages of Pakistan, and is spoken in parts of India, Bangladesh and other countries in South Asia. Arabic is spoken in the Middle East and throughout the Muslim world.

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, former U.S. ambassador to Hungary Eleni Kounalakis and former U.S. ambassador to Australia Jeff Bleich.

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