New Hybrid PAC looks to help naturalized citizens, Muslim candidates run for federal office

A newly formed progressive hybrid Political Action Committee (PAC) is looking to support Muslim candidates and naturalized citizens who want to run for federal office.

The group, dubbed “Cavalry PAC,” was filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) last Monday. 

The group is headed by former Democratic Congressional candidate Kara Eastman and progressive media personality Cenk Uygur. It is set to launch on Tuesday, Eastman told The Hill. 

Uygur, “The Young Turks” host, ended his long-shot Democratic presidential bid in early March. Since he was born in Turkey, he is not eligible to become president because of the Constitution’s “Natural Born Citizen” Clause. During his five-month White House bid, he started a legal battle to get ballot access. 

He sued in South Carolina federal court after not being included in the Palmetto State presidential primary ballot. The Democratic Party pointed to the Constitution when arguing why Uygur was left off. 

The new PAC will continue the constitutional dogfight.

“We’re also going to continue the litigation that we started because the idea behind his [Uygur’s] campaign was fighting full equality for naturalized citizens, which we still believe the 14th Amendment grants,” Eastman said.  

“We did not have the resources to be able to do that through the campaign, or the time really – that’s one of the main goals for this,” she continued. “So we want to pay off the legal bills, but then, just as importantly, if not, more importantly, move it forward with the potential of even suing in other states.” 

The group will spend half of the donation on the ongoing litigation, according to the PAC’s website.  

Eastman, who twice failed to unseat Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) in Nebraska’s 2nd District, most recently worked as Uygur’s campaign manager.

She said the other half of funds will go toward “supporting outsider candidates in grassroots elections, so helping Muslim candidates, helping naturalized citizens who want to run for office, maybe not right now for president but maybe down the line.”