Several prominent Muslim American elected officials, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, endorsed Joe Biden for president in a letter organized by Emgage Action ahead of an online summit that starts Monday and features the presumptive Democratic nominee, The Associated Press reported.
In addition to Omar, among those signing the letter are Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Indiana Rep. Andre Carson, all Democrats.
Omar, one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, endorsed Bernie Sanders for the presidency before he exited the race in April.
The letter coincides with an online summit that Emgage Action has titled “Million Muslim Votes,” underscoring its emphasis on boosting Muslim turnout in November. Biden was set to address the gathering on Monday.
The pro-Biden letter from Muslim American elected officials decried a number of President Donald Trump’s domestic and international policies, including his administration's ban on travelers from several predominantly Muslim countries and his pullout from the Iran nuclear deal.
“Our number one goal is to remove Donald Trump from office and to replace him with someone who can begin to heal our nation,” the letter said, according to AP.
“A Biden administration will move the nation forward on many of the issues we care about,” it said, citing racial justice, affordable health care, climate change and immigration.
Omar's signature on the endorsement letter expands on her statement last week, via Twitter, that she would vote for Biden.
New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — another member of the quartet of congresswomen of color, often known by the nickname “the Squad"— also has said she would vote for Biden in the fall.
Omar has made controversial statements on Israel. She came under fire last year after she suggested on Twitter that Republicans were attacking her at the behest of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC.
She subsequently issued a half-hearted apology before ultimately deleting the controversial tweets.
Last September, Omar called Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's "existence" a problem in an interview with CBS.
A month earlier, Israel barred Omar and fellow Muslim congresswoman Rashida Tlaib from entering the country due to their support for BDS.