2012 Electıons Bring Broad Bipartisan Victories for ANCA Endorsed Candidates

Approximately 90% of the Congressional candidates backed by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) prevailed in yesterday’s hard-fought elections, as U.S. voters re-elected Barack Obama President and maintained the Democratic majority of the Senate and the Republican majority in the House.

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Menendez, Feinstein Win in Senate; Cantor, Grimm, Cicilline Among Key Victories in House

WASHINGTON, DC - Approximately 90% of the Congressional candidates backed by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) prevailed in yesterday’s hard-fought elections, as U.S. voters re-elected Barack Obama President and maintained the Democratic majority of the Senate and the Republican majority in the House.

"We congratulate President Obama on his victory, commend Governor Romney for a well run campaign, and thank Armenian American voters who went to the polls today in record numbers to support federal, state, and local candidates who support issues of special concern to our community. We look forward to getting to work right away in engaging with the Obama Administration and the incoming Congress to make progress on the full range of the Armenian American community's public policy priorities."

"We were greatly gratified to see such a large percentage of our Congressional endorsees win their races, including powerful advocates such as Senator Bob Menendez, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Representatives Adam Schiff, Ed Royce, Frank Pallone, and many others."

On the Senate side, 12 out of 15 ANCA endorsed candidates emerged victorious, including senior Senate Foreign Relations Committee member and Armenian Genocide Resolution lead cosponsor Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Return of Churches Resolution lead cosponsor Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and incoming Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT). The only ANCA backed Senate candidates to lose were Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown, Virginia's George Allen (R), and Nevada's Shelly Berkley (D).

On the House side, the ANCA endorsed 130 candidates, of which only 12 were reported to have lost their re-election bids, with one race still pending. Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ed Royce (R-CA) won their elections by wide margins. Rep. Royce was endorsed earlier today by outgoing House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) to become the next Chairman of that powerful committee during the 113th Congress. He may be challenged by another long-time supporter of Armenian American concerns, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ).

The two Armenian American Members of Congress - California Democrats Anna Eshoo and Jackie Speier - each won broad support of the electorate. Among the key House races that the ANCA was following throughout the evening included House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), Congressional Armenian Genocide Resolution lead cosponsor Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Representatives David Cicilline (D-RI), Lois Capps (D-CA), Jeff Denham (R-CA), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Michael Grimm (R-NY), Janice Hahn (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), David Valadao (R-CA), and Frank Wolf (R-VA). All won their races. In a highly competitive race between two long-time supporters of Armenian American concerns, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) defeated Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA).

Among the House races in which ANCA endorsed candidates were not successful were those involving Illinois Republican Robert Dold and Armenian American candidate Danny Tarkanian from Nevada.

Unprecedented Armenian American Community and Campaign Outreach:

In dozens of states and hundreds of Congressional Districts across the United States in which the ANCA endorsed candidates ran, the ANCA sent hundreds of thousands of customized e-mail messages to Armenian American voters. These messages featured the ANCA grade for each candidate, news about whether the ANCA has endorsed their campaign, and a listing of ANCA records and ratings for their state's full Congressional delegation.

The ANCA's final push built upon months of voter registration campaigns and community education and empowerment programs – led with the remarkably successful ANCA Western Region Hye Votes campaign. ANCA regional and local activists volunteered on campaigns and encouraged candidates to fill out the ANCA Candidate Questionnaire.

A key element of this effort, as in years past, has been ANCA Congressional Report Cards, a detailed review and rating of the records of each Congressional incumbent on more than a dozen individual legislative initiatives of special concern to Armenian American voters.

Click here to see the complete ANCA Report Cards from the 112th Congress, visit:

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Listing of ANCA Endorsed Congressional Candidates and Election Results

** Ordered by State, then by Senate and New House Congressional District (per the 2010 Census).

** Names are listed as follows: District, Name, (Party)

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Arizona

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3 Rep. Raul Grijalva (D) - won

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California

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Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) - Senate - won

5 Rep. Mike Thompson (D) - won

6 Rep. Doris Matsui (D) - won

7 Rep. Dan Lungren (R) – RACE TOO CLOSE TO CALL

10 Rep. Jeff Denham (R) - won

12 Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) - won

13 Rep. Barbara Lee (D) - won

14 Rep. Jackie Speier (D) - won

15 Rep. Pete Stark (D) - lost

16 Rep. Jim Costa (D) - won

17 Rep. Michael Honda (D) - won

18 Rep. Anna Eshoo (D) - won

19 Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D) - won

21 David Valadao (R) - won

22 Rep. Devin Nunes (R) - won

23 Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R) - won

24 Rep. Lois Capps (D) - won

27 Rep. Judy Chu (D) - won

28 Rep. Adam Schiff (D) - won

29 Tony Cardenas (D) - won

32 Rep. Grace Napolitano (D) - won

33 Rep. Henry Waxman (D) - won

34 Rep. Xavier Becerra (D) - won

35 Rep. Joe Baca (D) - lost

37 Rep. Karen Bass (D) - won

38 Rep. Linda Sanchez (D) - won

39 Rep. Edward Royce (R) - won

40 Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D) - won

42 Rep. Ken Calvert (R) - won

44 Rep. Janice Hahn (D) - won

46 Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D) - won

48 Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R) - won

53 Rep. Susan Davis (D) - won

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Colorado

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1 Rep. Diana DeGette (D) - won

2 Rep. Jared Polis (D) - won

3 Sal Pace (D) - lost

4 Rep. Cory Gardner (R) - won

5 Rep. Douglas Lamborn (R) - won

6 Rep. Mike Coffman (R) - won

7 Rep. Edwin Perlmutter (D) - won

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Connecticut

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Rep. Chris Murphy (D) - Senate - won

1 Rep. John Larson (D) - won

2 Rep. Joe Courtney (D) - won

3 Rep. Rosa Delauro (D) - won

4 Rep. Jim Himes (D) - won

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Florida

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12 Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R) - won

18 Rep. Allen West (R) - lost

21 Rep. Ted Deutch (D) - won

24 Rep. Frederica Wilson (D) - won

25 Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R) - won

26 Rep. David Rivera (R) - lost

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Georgia

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11 Patrick Thompson (D) - lost

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Hawaii

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Rep. Mazie Hirono (D) - Senate - won

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Idaho

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1 Rep. Raul Labrador (R) - won

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Illinois

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1 Rep. Bobby Rush (D) - won

2 Rep. Jesse Jackson (D) - won

3 Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D) - won

5 Rep. Mike Quigley (D) - won

6 Rep. Peter Roskam (R) - won

7 Rep. Danny Davis (D) - won

9 Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D) - won

10 Rep. Robert Dold (R) – lost

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Indiana

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1 Rep. Peter Visclosky (D) - won

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Iowa

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1 Rep. Bruce Braley (D) - won

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Maine

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1 Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) - won

2 Rep. Michael Michaud (D) - won

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Maryland

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Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D) - Senate - won

3 Rep. John Sarbanes (D) - won

5 Rep. Steny Hoyer (D) - won

8 Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D) - won

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Massachusetts

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Sen. Scott Brown (R) - Senate - lost

1 Rep. Richard Neal (D) - won

2 Rep. James McGovern (D) - won

3 Rep. Niki Tsongas (D) - won

4 Joseph Kennedy III (D) - won

5 Rep. Edward Markey (D) - won

6 Rep. John Tierney (D) - won

7 Rep. Michael Capuano (D) - won

8 Rep. Stephen Lynch (D) - won

9 Rep. William Keating (D) – won

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Michigan

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Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) - Senate - won

6 Rep. Fred Upton (R) - won

9 Rep. Sander Levin (D) - won

12 Rep. John Dingell (D) - won

13 Rep. John Conyers (D) - won

14 Rep. Gary Peters (D) - won

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Minnesota

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) - Senate - won

1 Rep. Timothy Walz (D) - won

4 Rep. Betty McCollum (D) - won

7 Rep. Collin Peterson (D) - won

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Nebraska

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1 Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R) - won

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Nevada

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Rep. Shelley Berkley (D) - Senate - lost

1 Former Rep. Dina Titus (D) - won

4 Danny Tarkanian (R) - lost

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New Jersey

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Sen. Robert Menendez (D) - Senate - won

1 Rep. Robert Andrews (D) - won

2 Rep. Frank Lobiondo (R) - won

4 Rep. Christopher Smith (R) - won

5 Rep. Scott Garrett (R) - won

6 Rep. Frank Pallone (D) - won

8 Rep. Albio Sires (D) - won

11 Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R) - won

12 Rep. Rush Holt (D) - won

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New Mexico

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Rep. Martin Heinrich (D) - Senate - won

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New York

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1 Rep. Tim Bishop (D) - won

2 Rep. Peter King (R) - won

3 Rep. Steve Israel (D) - won

4 Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D) - won

10 Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D) - won

11 Rep. Michael Grimm (R) - won

12 Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D) - won

13 Rep. Charles Rangel (D) - won

14 Rep. Joseph Crowley (D) - won

16 Rep. Eliot Engel (D) - won

17 Rep. Nita Lowey (D) - won

20 Rep. Paul Tonko (D) - won

24 Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R) - lost

26 Rep. Brian Higgins (D) - won

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Ohio

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Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) - Senate - won

9 Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) - won

16 Rep. Betty Sue Sutton (D) - lost

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Oregon

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4 Rep. Peter DeFazio (D) - won

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Pennsylvania

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1 Rep. Robert Brady (D) - won

2 Rep. Chaka Fattah (D) - won

3 Rep. Mike Kelly (R) - won

7 Rep. Patrick Meehan (R) - won

8 Kathy Boockvar (D) - lost

13 Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D) - won

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Rhode Island

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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D) - Senate

1 Rep. David Cicilline (D) - won

2 Rep. James Langevin (D) - won

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Tennessee

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2 Rep. John Duncan (R) - won

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Texas

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29 Rep. Gene Green (D) - won

35 Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D) - won

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Vermont

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Sen. Bernard Sanders (I) - Senate - won

AL Rep. Peter Welch (D) - won

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Virginia

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Former Sen. George Allen (R) - Senate - lost

4 Rep. Randy Forbes (R) - won

7 Rep. Eric Cantor (R) - won

10 Rep. Frank Wolf (R) - won

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Washington

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1 John Koster (R) - lost

7 Rep. Jim McDermott (D) - won

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Wisconsin

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Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D) - Senate - won

1 Rep. Paul Ryan (R) – won

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Copyright © Armenian National Committee of America, 2009

1711 N Street NW • Washington, DC 20036 • Ph: (202) 775-1918 • Fax: (202) 775-5648 • anca@anca.org

Armenian National Committee of America

Western Region

104 N. Belmont, Suite 200, Glendale, CA 91206 * Tel. (818) 500-1918

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release ~ 2012-11-09

Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian ~ Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANCA WESTERN REGION STATEMENT ON 2012 GENERAL ELECTION

The Board of Directors of the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region welcomes the results of 2012 United States General Election and congratulates the winners, among them longtime friends, and new ones, elected to federal, state, and local offices around the country.

In our region in particular, we proudly welcome our newest California State Assemblymembers Adrin Nazarian and Scott Wilk and look forward to a long and productive relationship with both their offices. We also look forward to continuing our joint efforts with U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Ed Royce, and Congressmen Adam Schiff and Brad Sherman, both of whom so ably represent large segment of California Armenian-American community.

Likewise, the ANCA-WR commends those candidates it supported who were not successful in their campaigns, especially Congressman Howard Berman, candidate for State Assembly Greg Krikorian, and candidate for Los Angeles County District Attorney Alan Jackson. Despite the outcome of their races, the ANCA-WR looks forward to continuing its relationship with these upstanding and hardworking public servants.

Most heartening about this election cycle was the outpouring of Armenian-American political activity and engagement, a cornerstone of the Hye Votes program initiated by the ANCA-WR. Since the program’s inception in the spring of 2012, numerous ANCA local chapters, a dedicated staff, dozens of community organizations, hundreds of volunteers, and thousands of new voters contributed to galvanizing Armenian-Americans as one of the most vibrant voting communities in the United States.

One example of the strength of the Armenian-American vote was in the race of Greg Krikorian, who was endorsed by the ANCA-WR. Although Krikorian lost, he garnered a higher percentage and number of votes than the two previous Republican candidates for the same Assembly seat in a district which traditionally leans heavily Democratic. The higher voter registration and subsequent voter turnout led by Hye Votes undoubtedly contributed to the tighter margins in the race for the 43rd Assembly District seat and that participation will surely multiply exponentially in future elections.

Despite the incredible volunteer effort to register and get Armenian-Americans to vote, the ANCA-WR was gravely disappointed to see the excitement of Election Day marred by concerted attempts, including those by members of Mike Gatto’s staff, at voter intimidation and disenfranchisement, especially as it came on the heels of deceptive announcements from the campaign. In the most common case, Hye Votes volunteers at polling locations throughout the district – there to monitor the polls and assist voters with a language barrier who requested help – were continually ostracized and frivolous complaints were lodged with the L.A. County Registrar. All of the complaints were resoundingly dismissed after investigation.

Given the success of Hye Votes and its experience on Election Day 2012, the ANCA-WR will be redoubling its efforts to activate the Armenian-American voter base and ensure that not a single Armenian-American vote is suppressed through efforts to stymie voter empowerment.

We welcome the leaders of both the Democratic Party and Republican Party to join the ANCA-WR in working toward the prized goal of any democracy: a fully engaged and participant electorate.

Emboldened by the familiar resilience and tenacity of our community, the ANCA-WR will build upon its strong foundation of political involvement and grassroots activism as the Armenian-American community continues its march for justice and the realization of the Armenian Cause.

To that end, we encourage our community to join us in Sacramento on Advocacy Day in April, to fully participate in the upcoming municipal elections in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank, to support our supporters while simultaneously holding them accountable, and to maintain a level of vigilance of our common Cause.

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