LOS ANGELES—A bi-partisan group of Armenian American voters from across southern California gathered in downtown Los Angeles last Sunday to support the re-election campaign of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA).
Senator Boxer, a longtime supporter of human rights issues and advocate for issues related to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), is a member of the influential Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. With the November 2nd mid-term elections just days away, leaders and supporters of the Armenian National Committee – Political Action Committee encouraged those in attendance to get to the polls on Election Day to vote for Senator Boxer.
“The bottom line is that we need Armenian American voters to get to the polls on November 2nd and cast their ballot for Senator Boxer,” remarked ANC-PAC spokesperson Kris Demirjian.
“The Armenian American community has had no better friend in the U.S. Senate than Senator Boxer. Whether it has been on issues related to the Armenian Genocide, or issues regarding the destruction of Armenian religious monuments in Azerbaijan, the Senator has been a steadfast friend and ally of our community. On November 2nd we encourage Armenian American voters to confidently cast their vote for Senator Boxer,” added Demirjian.
The Senator was introduced at the gathering by longtime Armenian American political activist Raffi Hamparian. He praised the Senator for being a forceful advocate for issues of importance to Armenian American voters. Following the Senator Boxer’s remarks, she was praised by ANCA leader Berdj Karapetian, who shared that Armenian American voters, given the tight nature of the Senator’s race, could play an instrumental role in re-electing Senator Boxer. Polling by major news outlets currently shows the race between Senator Boxer and her opponent, Carly Fiorina, in a dead heat.
Most recently, Senator Boxer led the effort to stop the nomination of Matt Bryza, who President Obama had nominated to serve as our nation’s next Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan. Bryza, as is widely known, had repeatedly failed to confront Azerbaijani aggression against Armenians in Artsakh. Several years ago the Senator was instrumental in blocking the nomination of Richard Hoagland, who had denied the Armenian Genocide, from serving as Ambassador to Armenia and replacing Ambassador John Evans, who was fired for speaking honestly about the Genocide before Armenian American audiences in California. She has been attacked by the Wall Street Journal not once, but twice, in the past month in editorials, which accuse her of representing Armenia, instead of California, because she is responsive to appeals from Californians of Armenian ancestry.
The ANC-PAC is a non-partisan federally registered political action committee established to support campaign committees for Members of Congress who share the values of the Armenian American community. The ANC-PAC is at the forefront of efforts to ensure that the voice of the Armenian American community is clearly heard in our nation’s capital. The ANC-PAC continues a century old tradition of Armenian American engagement on the public policy issues facing national political leaders, both in the U.S. Congress and the White House.
Photos By Helena Gregorian
