Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: anca@anca.org
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PRESS RELEASE
July 9, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA CONSULTS WITH SENIOR KERRY-EDWARDS CAMPAIGN LEADERS DURING
CONFERENCE CALLS ON ETHNIC AMERICAN OUTREACH

WASHINGTON, DC — Community activists from the Armenian National
Committee of America’s (ANCA) national headquarters, regional
offices, and local chapters participated this week in conference
calls organized by the Kerry-Edwards campaign to consult with
ethnic leaders nationwide.

Representatives from ethnic groups, including the Irish, Italian,
Serbian, Greek, German, Polish, Albanian, Portuguese and Ukrainian
communities, spoke, in two separate July 8th conference calls, with
Kerry/Edwards National Campaign Chairwoman, former New Hampshire
Governor Jeanne Shaheen, and National Campaign Co-Chairman, Los
Angeles City Councilman Antonio Villaragosa. ANCA representatives,
as well as “Armenians for Kerry-Edwards” activists praised the
campaign’s energetic outreach to engage ethnic communities.

Governor Shaheen and Councilman Villaragosa cited the key role that
ethnic communities will play in the upcoming elections, as both the
Democratic and Republican campaigns vie to win support in the more
than fifteen hotly contested, highly ethnic “battleground” states,
which will play the determining factor in the Presidential race
this November. “The one thing we understand in this campaign is
that, when taken together, they [ethnic groups] are a big slice of
the American electorate . . . Our ability to communicate with these
communities will take us far in November,” explained Councilman
Villaragosa. The campaign leaders also provided their insights
into Sen. Kerry’s announcement this week of Senator John Edwards as
his Vice-Presidential running-mate.

“It was very energizing to participate in the conference call – and
have the opportunity to interact and exchange views – with the
senior leaders of the Kerry/Edwards campaign,” said Alina Azizian,
who is active with the San Francisco/Bay Area “Armenians For
Kerry/Edwards” team. “Sen. Edwards, having been brought up as the
son of a textile worker, is an icon of the American Dream which so
many Armenians and other ethnic Americans can relate to.”

The conference call is part of a multi-faceted, nationwide Kerry-
Edwards campaign effort to reach out to ethnic community
organizations, energize ethnic voters, and ensure that the voice of
America’s diverse communities are heard at the highest levels of
the campaign. Campaign Ethnic Outreach Coordinator George Kivork,
himself of Armenian descent, has been a key figure in this effort,
developing a powerful coalition of ethnic community supporters for
the Kerry-Edwards ticket.