Protestors block entrance to one of Donald Trump's buildings in New York City.
Protestors block entrance to one of Donald Trump’s buildings in New York City.

WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — The Asian-American and Pacific Islander Victory Fund have launched a campaign against the candidacy of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the state of Virginia, alleging that the billionaire real estate mogul continues to make fear-mongering comments against the American Muslim community.

While kicking off its campaign by releasing its first web ad, “Rejecting Hate,” which it said is targeted at voters in Virginia, the Asian-American and Pacific Islanders Victory Fund labeled the 70-year-old Trump as a candidate whose platform is “steeped in bigotry.”

Virginia has emerged as a swing state, and is now heavily leaning towards Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton — whom the AAPI endorsed during primary season.

“Donald Trump has consistently chosen to divide our country with hateful demagoguery that fuels anti-Muslim sentiments across the country,” said Dilawar Syed, AAPI Victory Fund co-founder and vice chair.

“We must fight back against a candidate whose platform is steeped in bigotry and who believes that attacking a diverse and engaged American community will somehow give him the path to the White House. We won’t stand for it, and we won’t let it happen,” he said.

Earlier, during the DNC Shekhar Narasimhan spoke to Diya TV at length and explained the importance of the AAPI vote in this election. “President Obama won our state by a margin of three percent in 2012, a state where Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders represent six percent of the population,” said Shekar Narasimhan, AAPI Victory Fund chair.

“As a Virginia resident and voter, I believe our community can be the margin of victory this November. We can affect this election through outreach and mobilizing voters throughout Virginia,” he said.

Launched in January 2016, the AAPI Victory Fund is the first super political action committee of its kind. It is now mobilizing AAPI voters in key battleground states where growing AAPI populations could be the margin of victory.

With a population of more than 21 million and representing six percent of the country’s population, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest-growing and most diverse minority groups in America.