The Gold Star father who sparred with President Trump during the 2016 presidential race is using his political fame to boost Democratic candidates in crowded primaries in 2018.
Khizr Khan has so far backed several Democrats running in must-win House races. In an interview with The Hill, Khan said that he’s motivated by events like the fatal violence at a white supremacist rally last August in Charlottesville, Va.
It is a new political role for Khan, who entered the national spotlight with his 2016 Democratic National Convention speech about his son — a soldier who was killed fighting in the Iraq War in 2004 — as well as Trump’s attacks on Muslims.
{mosads}Trump responded to Khan’s speech with a series of attacks, saying he had made “a lot of sacrifices” and questioning whether Khan’s wife didn’t speak at the convention because of her religion.
Democrats have seen a recruitment surge for House candidates in the Trump era, but the expanding fields can also lead to costly, divisive primaries.
It remains to be seen what kind of impact Khan’s endorsement will have in these primaries, but strategists say a boost from a high-profile Democrat could be a boon for candidates looking to accelerate their fundraising and mobilize voters.
“Voters, especially Democratic primary voters, remember his battle with Trump and see him as a symbol of the resistance,” said Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson. “I think for voters he is a reminder that we’re better than this, and that is a powerful and compelling message for the midterms.
“I think any Democratic candidate would be fortunate to have his time and his effort and his voice in support of their campaigns for what it means to their message and what it means to energizing their grass roots.”
Following his convention speech, Khan went on to campaign for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 and has stayed politically active, participating in 176 speaking engagements in 2017. Khan, a Virginia attorney, also campaigned for successful Democratic gubernatorial nominees in Virginia and New Jersey.
In October, Khan sent a fundraising email on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the House Democrats’ campaign arm. Khan’s fundraising plea came after controversy over callous remarks Trump was accused of making to a Gold Star widow.
“I love this country. My son died for this country. And like you, I watched Donald Trump’s latest attack on Gold Star families in horror,” Khan wrote in the DCCC’s fundraising email.
“Donald Trump can’t comprehend the sacrifice from our service members and families like mine. I know the only way to stop Trump is to win a Democratic House.”
Khan has endorsed several Democrats running in crowded primaries, including Jason Crow, who’s running against Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.); Ed Meier, who’s looking to unseat Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas); Gina Ortiz Jones, who’s running to challenge Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas); and Ann Kirkpatrick, a former House member who will be running for an open seat once Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) announces her Senate run.
Khan plans to attend fundraisers and help candidates at campaign events. He said he’s met with the DCCC and will make future endorsements as national Democrats start to coalesce around more candidates.
In his interview with The Hill, Khan said recent events like the Charlottesville violence motivated him to continue to his involvement in politics.
“It’s such reminders that encourage me, that give me direction, that this is the time to speak and continue to speak for the values that we all cherish so very much, meaning our democracy, our rule of law,” Khan said.
“It is from that angle that I support these candidates and I stand with them. I lend them my voice. I go to their fundraisers if it can add to their strength.”
Khan noted that he’s endorsed many veterans running for Congress, something he said “is very dear and close to my heart.”
Ortiz Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer running for Hurd’s seat in Texas, said she first heard Khan speak in person at an Asian American Action Fund event and followed up with him after. Khan said he “fully endorses” her and decides on endorsements based on what candidates have done as well as finding “a personal connection” with them.
Ortiz Jones is one of several Democrats running to take on Hurd, a former undercover CIA officer who narrowly won reelection to his Texas swing seat in 2016 and ranks as a top Democratic target for 2018. Her toughest competitor in the March 6 primary is former federal prosecutor Jay Hulings, who’s close to Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro.
Ortiz Jones has gotten other big endorsements, including from EMILY’s List, a group that aims to elect women who support abortion rights to office. She noted that Khan’s endorsement has helped with fundraising.
“In some places, maybe even in this race, where the ‘establishment’ might be behind one person, the fact that somebody like a Mr. Khizr Khan has your back, that means a lot to people in this district, particularly given the large military defense population that we have in this district,” Ortiz Jones told The Hill.
“He made a point of noting this in his endorsement, that as a veteran you are going to see issues in a different light. As an Iraq War veteran, I can’t separate that experience from how I talk and think about issues.”
Khan also sees a larger role in 2018, when Democrats hope to flip 24 seats to take back control of the House. Using the recent Virginia elections as an example, he said he’ll continue to focus on making sure voters don’t sit on the sidelines in the upcoming midterm elections.
“One question that mostly every speaking engagement ends with is ‘Where do we go from here?’ ” Khan said.