Not many people know that Vichal Kumar is one of four Democratic candidates running in the primary for New York’s 7th Congressional District.
Unlike his fellow candidates, Antonio Reynoso, Claire Valdez and Julie Won, Kumar has a background in public defense, not politics. This is his first political campaign.
“People are tired of politicians, people are tired of false promises, people are tired of dishonesty and lack of credibility,” Kumar told BK Reader.
As a public defender for 20 years, Kumar has seen from the inside what issues affect community members. He is the only candidate that has "actually done the work, that has shown up every single day, where government and institutions have failed,” Kumar said.
His three major policies focus on dismantling Immigration and Customs Enforcement, empowering workers and guaranteeing healthcare for all.
“ICE was formed after 9/11 to target people that look like me,” he said.
Kumar explained that for the past two decades, he has been in the courtroom representing families who have been targeted by ICE, which is why he believes the agency should be dismantled, not abolished.
One way to tackle the issue, Kumar explained, is to stop building private detention facilities.
When it comes to employee rights, he strongly supports the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which, if passed, would allow workers to form unions freely and fairly.
“Not everybody has a W-2 salary,” h said. “It’s split between contractors, gig workers, caregivers and freelancers, and they don’t have the benefits that used to come along with traditional employment.”
In addition to the PRO Act, Kumar believes that the minimum wage should be raised. He also said there needs to be a broader discussion about artificial intelligence.
“If there is going to be worker displacement, how is the government prepared to hold corporations accountable for what that displacement is going to look like?” he said.
Kumar said conversations with community members revealed two major concerns: rising living costs and the presence of ICE in local neighborhoods.
That’s why he favors using a holistic defense model, where there's focus on all issues, including immigration, housing, and social workers to help tackle the district’s problems.
“Systems are consistently crashing into each other and overlapping, impacting individuals,” Kumar said.
Many issues Kumar is fighting for have also affected him. For example, he did not have health insurance until he was 25, and one of his policy priorities is providing universal health care.
“I’ve also lived through that and combining that experience with then turning around and actually doing the work for the past 20 years has given [me] a unique perspective,” Kumar said.
Early in the race, the four candidates pledged not to take money from Political Action Committees, but Valdez, who is endorsed by Mayor Zorahn Mamdani, has received money from the PAC American Priorities, Kumar said.
He realized that he is held to a different standard than his fellow candidates, due to his background.
“If I said one thing and did another, I would have likely lost my job,” he said. “We are honest, we're authentic, we're credible and we talk about things from perspectives that people actually relate to, and I think that has been overwhelmingly positive [support]."
When he was barred from participating in a televised debate when he did not meet the funding criteria, Kumar posted on social media that being excluded from the debate created an “invisible primary" and felt his opponents did not differentiate themselves in any way.
“There are three politicians who are acting like politicians, and you've got one public defender,” Kumar said. “ I will continue to be the public defender.”
