ANC-PAC HOLDS FUNDRAISER FOR REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN FROM ILLINOIS
armradio.am
21.04.2008 10:40
Friends and supporters of the Armenian National Committee – Political
Action Committee (ANC-PAC) gathered at the California Club in downtown
Los Angeles to support the reelection campaign of Congressman Mark Kirk
(R-IL).
The Congressman, who has long been a staunch supporter on Armenian
issues in the U.S. House of Representatives, is a member of
the powerful House Committee on Appropriations. He serves on the
spending committee’s State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs
subcommittee, which sets spending levels for all U.S. foreign aid
programs, including those for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Congressman Kirk is a strong ally of the Armenian Cause on Capitol
Hill," commented ANC-PAC Chairman Armen Martin after the event.
"Congressman Kirk’s reelection this November is one of the ANC-PAC’s
foremost priorities. The ANC-PAC, which has always stood by our friends
in Congress, is proud to be backing the Congressman’s congressional
campaign," he added.
Congressman Kirk represents the 10th Congressional District of Illinois
located in the suburbs north of Chicago. The Congressional District
is home to thousands of Armenian American constituents, All Saints
Armenian Church and Community Center, and a very strong chapter of the
Armenian National Committee. During the last election cycle in 2006,
Kirk received a grade of "A" from the Armenian National Committee of
America’s congressional report card.
Also in attendance, was a representative from The National Organization
of Republican Armenians (NORA), Peter Musurlian. "NORA appreciates
Congressman Kirk’s efforts on behalf of his constituents," remarked
Mr. Musurlian. "His strong support for U.S. assistance for Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabagh and his role in carefully examining whether our tax
dollars should be spent to prop up the oil oligarchy in Azerbaijan,
is very much appreciated by NORA’s thousands of supporters in Illinois
and across the nation," Musurlian added.
Now in his fourth term, Congressman Kirk was first elected to Congress
in 2000 with the strong support of the Armenian American community. In
his first election, he faced over a dozen opponents in the Republican
Primary.
As he well remembers, Armenian American voters came out in record
numbers to give him the boost he needed to win the primary and then
succeed in the general election months later. The Congressman’s
familiarity with Armenian issues began nearly two decades ago when he
started his political career as an aide to Congressman John Porter,
the founding chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.
Congressman Kirk is a Naval Reserve intelligence officer who served
during conflicts with Iraq, Haiti, and Bosnia. He served four tours
at sea and three in Panama. The U.S. Navy named Kirk ‘Intelligence
Officer of the Year’ in 1999 for his combat service in Kosovo. Kirk
flew on missions over Iraq and continues to serve one weekend a
month in the Pentagon. Kirk is the only member of Congress to serve
stateside during Operation Iraqi Freedom and was an air crewman over
Iraq during Operation Northern Watch.