PRESS RELEASE
ARMENPAC, The Armenian-American Political Action Committee
421 E. Airport Freeway, Suite 201
Irving, Texas 75220
Contact: Jason P. Capizzi, Esq.
Tel: (972) 635-5347
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
RESULTS ARE IN: ARMENPAC ENDORSEMENTS OVERWHELMINGLY SUCCEED IN 2006
MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Irving, TX – On November 7, 2006 Americans across the country cast
their votes in the federal midterm elections – and Armenians in
our native homeland, Nagorno Karabakh, and the Diaspora emerged as
winners. "ARMENPAC is pleased to announce an overwhelming success for
its political endorsements, and extends its congratulations and best
wishes to the newly elected officers. Furthermore, ARMENPAC would
like to thank the members of the Armenian-American community that
exercised their democratic right to vote and contributed to this
success", said ARMENPAC Co-Chairs Annie Totah and Edgar Hagopian.
In order to ensure a bright future for the people of Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh, ARMENPAC holds true to the belief that knowledge
is power, setting forth all efforts to educate itself, congressional
candidates, and the Armenian-American community at large. Through
its 2006 Congressional Candidate Questionnaire initiative, ARMENPAC
was the first Armenian-American advocacy organization to educate
all federal candidates who may have otherwise been unfamiliar with
the pressing issues that are important to Armenian-Americans, while
simultaneously providing them with a forum to share their opinions on
these fundamental issues. In its continued effort to raise awareness
of, and advocate for, policies that help create peace, security and
stability in the Caucasus region, ARMENPAC investigated the positions
of all 1,944 candidates for the United States Senate and the United
States House of Representatives on current issues of importance to the
Armenian-American community. The results of this investigation served
to empower Armenian-American voters with the fundamental knowledge
necessary to make an informed decision on Election Day.
ARMENPAC Activist Lisa Ohanian of New York took more than knowledge
with her to the polls. "In the past, I was a voter whose selections
were driven by candidates’ public service announcements and whatever
else the media dished to the community. But this year was different. By
reading the results of ARMENPAC’s survey, I knew the point of view
held by the political candidates in their own words.
So this year, I entered the voting booth, pulled out ARMENPAC’s list
of endorsements that I had printed off their website, and checked
off the ballots. I left feeling confident in having made educated
decisions based on the information provided by ARMENPAC, which has
emerged as our community’s most credible and reliable source for
election information."
Upon review of the positions of the nearly 400 survey respondents,
as well as the established voting records of incumbent candidates,
ARMENPAC made an informed decision in considering which federal
candidates have earned its endorsement in the upcoming elections.
One third of the seats in the United States Senate (i.e., thirty-three
(33) Class 1 seats) were up for election this year.
Holding six-year terms, these members of the United States Senate
will serve from January 3, 2007 through January 3, 2013.
ARMENPAC is pleased to announce that the following 10, of the 13
candidates endorsed by ARMENPAC for the United States Senate have been
elected to Class 1: CALIFORNIA: Diane Feinstein (D); MAINE: Olympia
Snow (R); MARYLAND: Ben Cardin (D); MASSACHUSETTS: Edward Kennedy
(D); MICHIGAN: Debbie Stabenow (D); NEW JERSEY: Robert Menendez
(D); NEW YORK: Hillary Rodham Clinton (D); OHIO: Sherrod Brown (D);
WASHINGTON: Maria Cantwell (D); and WISCONSIN: Herb Kohl (D).
All of the seats in the United States House of Representatives (i.e.,
four hundred thirty-five (435) seats) were up for election. The
new United States House of Representatives emerges with a Democratic
leadership whose reputation as staunch supporters of Armenian-American
issues will leave all Armenians hopeful for the future. Members
of the United States House of Representatives hold two-year terms,
and those elected will serve in the 110th Congress from January 3,
2007 through January 3, 2009.
ARMENPAC is pleased to announce that the following 152, of the
167 candidates endorsed by ARMENPAC for the United States House of
Representatives have been elected to the 110th Congress: ARIZONA:
Rick Renzi (R-1), Raul Grijalva (D-7); CALIFORNIA: Mike Thompson
(D-1), Doris Matsui (D-5), Lynn Woolsey (D-6), George Miller (D-7),
Nancy Pelosi (D-8), Barbara Lee (D-9), Ellen Tauscher (D-10), Pete
Stark (D-13), Anna Eshoo (D-14), Michael Honda (D-15), Zoe Lofgren
(D-16), Dennis Cardoza (D-18), George Radanovich (R-19), Jim Costa
(D-20), Devin Nunes (R-21), Lois Capps (D-23), Elton Gallegly (R-24),
Howard McKeon (R-25), David Dreier (R-26), Brad Sherman (D-27), Howard
Berman (D-28), Adam Schiff (D-29), Henry Waxman (D-30), Xavier Becerra
(D-31), Hilda Solis (D-32), Diane Watson (D-33), Lucille Roybal-Allard
(D-34), Grace Napolitano (D-38), Linda Sanchez (D-39), Edward Royce
(R-40), Gary Miller (R-42), Joseph Baca (D-43), Loretta Sanchez (D-47),
Darrell Issa (R-49), Bob Filner (D-51), Duncan Hunter (R-52), Susan
Davis (D-53); COLORADO: Mark Udall (D-2); CONNECTICUT: John Larson
(D-1), Rosa DeLauro (D-3), Christopher Shays (R-4); DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA: Eleanor Norton (D-DL); FLORIDA: Michael Bilirakis (R-9),
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-18), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-21), Tom Feeney
(R-24); GEORGIA: Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-2); ILLINOIS: Bobby Rush
(D-1), Jesse Jackson (D-2), Dan Lipinski (D-3), Luis Gutierrez (D-4),
Danny Davis (D-7), Janice Schakowsky (D-9), Mark Kirk (R-10), Jerry
Weller (R-11), Jerry Costello (D-12), John Shimkus (R-19); INDIANA:
Peter Visclosky (D-1), Mark Souder (R-3); KANSAS: Jerry Moran (R-1),
Dennis Moore (D-3), Todd Tiahrt (R-4); KENTUCKY: Ben Chandler (D-6);
LOUISIANA: Bobby Jindal (R-1); MAINE: Thomas Allen (D-1); MARYLAND:
John Sarbanes (D-3), Albert Wynn (D-4), Steny Hoyer (D-5), Roscoe
Bartlett, Jr. (R-6), Christopher Van Hollen (D-8); MASSACHUSETTS:
John Olver (D-1), Richard Neal (D-2), James McGovern (D-3), Barney
Frank (D-4), Martin Meehan (D-5), John Tierney (D-6), Edward Markey
(D-7), Michael Capuano (D-8), Stephen Lynch (D-9), William Delahunt
(D-10); MICHIGAN: Vernon Ehlers (R-3), Dave Camp (R-4), Dale Kildee
(D-5), Fred Upton (R-6), Michael Rogers (R-8), Joe Knollenberg (R-9),
Candice Miller (R-10), Thaddeus McCotter (R-11), Sander Levin (D-12),
Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-13), John Conyers (D-14), John Dingell (D-15);
MINNESOTA: Betty McCollum (D-4); NEVADA: Shelley Berkley (D-1),
Jon Porter (R-3); NEW JERSEY: Robert Andrews (D-1), Frank LoBiondo
(R-2), Jim Saxton (R-3), Christopher Smith (R-4), Scott Garrett
(R-5), Frank Pallone (D-6), Mike Ferguson (R-7), Bill Pascrell (D-8),
Steven Rothman (D-9), Donald Payne (D-10), Rush Holt (D-12), Albio
Sires (D-13); NEW YORK: Timothy Bishop (D-1), Steve Israel (D-2),
Carolyn McCarthy (D-4), Gary Ackerman (D-5), Joseph Crowley (D-7),
Anthony Weiner (D-9), Nydia Velazquez (D-12), Carolyn Maloney (D-14),
Charles Rangel (D-15), Eliot Engel (D-17), Nita Lowey (D-18), John
Sweeney (R-20), Michael McNulty (D-21), Maurice Hinchey (D-22); OHIO:
Marcy Kaptur (D-9), Dennis Kucinich (D-10), Stephanie Tubbs Jones
(D-11), Steven LaTourette (R-14); OREGON: Earl Blumenauer (D-3),
Darlene Hooley (D-5); PENNSYLVANIA: Chaka Fattah (D-2), Phil English
(R-3), Jim Gerlach (R-6), Allyson Schwartz (D-13), Mike Doyle (D-14),
Charles Dent (R-15), Joseph Pitts (R-16), Tim Holden (D-17); RHODE
ISLAND: Patrick Kennedy (D-1), James Langevin (D-2); SOUTH CAROLINA:
Joe Wilson (R-2); SOUTH DAKOTA: Stephanie Herseth (D-At Large); TEXAS:
Kenny Marchant (R-24), Lloyd Doggett (D-25), Eddie Johnson (D-30),
John Carter (R-31); VIRGINIA: Eric Cantor (R-7), James Moran (D-8);
WASHINGTON: Jim McDermott (D-7), Adam Smith (D-9); WISCONSIN: Paul
Ryan (R-1), Tammy Baldwin (D-2). Note: the results of Connecticut’s
second Congressional District and Georgia’s twelfth Congressional
District races have not yet been certified).
But this is just the beginning. The results of the midterm elections
have proven that our voices have been heard, yet they are now
a thing of the past. It’s imperative to focus on action in the
present. To help ensure the sound of the Armenian voice resonates
throughout the halls of Congress, ARMENPAC calls upon the continued
support of its Armenian-American compatriots. It is critical for
the Armenian American community to support ARMENPAC’s efforts to
attend and represent Armenian-American issues at events in support
of pro-Armenian congresspersons. ARMENPAC’s ongoing presence at such
events sparks recognition among congressional and administration
leasers, and eases the burden of garnering their support on issues
of importance to the Armenian-American community when they arise.
Together, we can ensure a bright future for Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh,
and the greater Armenian-American community.
ARMENPAC is an independent, bipartisan political action committee
with a nationwide membership. ARMENPAC raises awareness of,
and advocates for, policies that help create peace, security and
stability in the Caucasus region, while providing financial support
to federal officeholders, candidates, political action committees
and organizations that actively support issues of importance to
Armenian-Americans. For more information and how to join ARMENPAC,
please call (877) 286-1046 or visit
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