Goyle gets national South Asian support for comptroller bid

Democratic comptroller candidate Raj Goyle is looking to make history as the first South Asian New Yorker elected statewide – and he's been racking up support from influential South Asian politicos across the country in his bid to unseat incumbent Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a top progressive lawmaker from Washington who also co-chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, is the latest South Asian official to give their backing to Goyle, his campaign first shared with City & State. “At a time when too many politicians cave to pressure and abandon our shared morality, we need candidates all across this country who lead with courage and compassion,” Jayapal said in a statement. 

Although Jayapal’s endorsement likely won't move votes in the New York race, her decision to get involved in a state election on the other side of the country further solidifies Goyle’s support among leftwing South Asians. Fellow progressive Rep. Ro Khanna from California also recently backed Goyle. Goyle, whose parents were born in India, is a former Kansas state legislator who frequently voted with Republicans to keep his deep red seat and has now rebranded himself as a progressive champion in his bid for comptroller. 

Locally, Goyle picked up the endorsement of election attorney Ali Najmi, an influential leader in South Asian political circles in New York City and a close confidant to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. While Najmi told Politico New York his endorsement has no bearing on the thinking of the mayor, who has not weighed in on the race for state comptroller, it still puts Goyle just one degree of separation from the popular mayor who just made history with his election.

Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Preet Bharara has also offered his support to Goyle and is speaking at a virtual fundraiser Monday night. Though Bharara’s political clout has dwindled in the decade since his dismissal as a federal prosecutor by President Donald Trump, he remains one of the best-known South Asian officials in both New York and around the country.