Kal Penn endorses Jimmy Van Bramer for Queens borough president
Kal Penn sees the sunny side of City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer as the next Queens borough president.
The actor made the endorsement Tuesday.
“Jimmy’s care for his constituents has stood out in my mind since meeting him. He has a strong, progressive record of protecting working families and community businesses, and has been impressively inclusive and forward-thinking,” Penn said in a statement.
“It is exciting to see how he encourages young leaders from all walks of Queens life and includes them in a mission to make our beautiful City of New York even stronger,” he added, a nod at Van Bramer’s alliances with the city’s new generation of lefties.
Penn played a former councilman in the short-lived sitcom “Sunnyside,” set in the same area Van Bramer represents in real life.
The “Harold & Kumar” star, who’s based in New York City, left Hollywood in 2009 to work for the Obama administration for two years, serving as a liaison with young voters.
“Given the health and economic hardships facing our fellow New Yorkers, I’m especially excited to support the candidacy of someone as experienced, tough and caring as Jimmy,” stated Penn, the stage name for Kalpen Modi.
The endorsement came as more stars have been drawn to this year’s mayoral race. Scarlett Johansson recently hosted a fund-raiser for city Comptroller Scott Stringer, and Chris Evans, aka “Captain America,” endorsed Maya Wiley, an ex-aide to Mayor de Blasio.
“Kal Penn continues to do amazing work for immigrant and refugee communities across the country, and around the world,” Van Bramer said in a statement. “He’s used his platform to get young people and marginalized communities involved in the political process. I’m so proud to have his support again as we reimagine a Queens where working families, small businesses and tenants get ahead.”
The seven-year councilman abruptly dropped out of a special election for Queens BP last year to take care of his ailing mother. He now faces the winner of that contest, former Councilman Donovan Richards, in this year’s June Democratic primary.
