Ro Khanna backed Aisha Farooqi in her Michigan congressional campaign over the weekend. He reposted her video and turned the endorsement into a short exchange about movies, food, and sports. Farooqi is running in Michigan's 11th Congressional District.
Khanna said, “Aisha for Congress has spent her career standing up for working families in Michigan. We need her progressive voice and commitment to justice and economic fairness in Congress and her commitment to human rights.” In the video, he added, “And now we have an Indian American endorsing a Pakistani American.”
Aisha Farooqi video
Farooqi posted the clip with a line that set the tone: “Who says every political meeting has to be about politics? On Saturday, @RoKhanna and I covered the important issues: Shah Rukh Khan, samosas, and chai.” The two also answered rapid-fire prompts on Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan, samosas or pakoras, lassi or chai, Bollywood or Hollywood, cricket or basketball, and Michigan or California.
Khanna chose Shah Rukh Khan and said, “‘My Name Is Khan’ is one of my favorite movies.” Farooqi chose Michigan when asked “Michigan or California?” and said “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” was her favorite Shah Rukh Khan film.
Michigan's 11th Congressional District
The endorsement gives Farooqi a public boost from a sitting congressman who framed her candidacy around working families, economic fairness, and human rights. It also places her race in Michigan's 11th Congressional District in a more visible cross-community setting, with the campaign using a light cultural conversation to carry a political message.
Khanna recently used a sharper tone in other remarks, saying, “We have a simple message for these oligarchs,” and adding, “Channelling FDR, we should say to them, bring it on.” He also said a progressive platform resonates with voters because it opposes foreign wars and supports Medicare for All, universal child care, stronger union protections, and higher taxes on billionaires and trillionaires.
The endorsement is now public, but its effect on the race is not measured in the video. Farooqi has the backing, the district is set, and the campaign is already using the moment to put her name and message in front of voters.
