Over 90% of ANCA backed candidates win

Armenian National Committee of America
Press Release, 03 November 2010
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian ~ Tel: (202) 775-1918

OVER 90% OF ANCA BACKED CANDIDATES WIN


Key Senate Victories include Reid, Kirk, Boxer, Schumer, and Mikulski; ANCA Played Key Role in Defeat of McMahon and Shea-Porter


WASHINGTON, DC – Over 90% of the Congressional candidates backed by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) prevailed in yesterday’s hard-fought mid-term elections.

“We join with Armenian Americans from across the country in congratulating the winners of these elections from both parties, and look forward to working constructively with the new members and leaders of Congress,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We are especially proud of our community’s pivotal role in the outcome of several key races, including Mark Kirk’s victory in Illinois, Barbara Boxer’s win in California, Harry Reid’s triumph in Nevada, and, of course, Mike Grimm’s defeat of Representative Michael McMahon.”

A complete list of ANCA endorsed candidates and how they fared in the 2010 Congressional elections is provided below.

Five out of the six Senators endorsed by the ANCA emerged victorious, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). The only ANCA backed Senate candidate to lose was Russ Feingold (D-WI), a perennial cosponsor of Armenian Genocide legislation.

On the House side, the ANCA endorsed 158 candidates in 31 states. Of this total, 152 were incumbents, of which, only nine were reported to have lost their re-election bids, with two races still pending. Each of the six non-incumbents endorsed and backed by the ANCA won their elections, including, most notably Michael Grimm, who, with the energetic support of ANCA activists in New York, unseated Armenian Genocide Resolution opponent Rep. Michael McMahon (D-NY). Grimm has been vocal about his support for Armenian Genocide legislation and the need to end Turkey’s occupation of Cyprus in meetings with Armenian and Greek American activists, who volunteered with the Republican challenger’s campaign.

ANCA activists in New Hampshire, and from across New England, played a pivotal role in helping Republican Frank Guinta successfully unseat Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter (D-NH). Porter, who has actively opposed a number Armenian American legislative initiatives, including the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, was defeated by Guinta, 46% to 39%, with the active support of Armenian American voters and a coalition of others committed to human rights and humanitarian issues. In addition to Congressional Report Cards (Shea-Porter received an ANCA rating of "C" in 2010 and "F" in 2008) and the Congressional Candidate Questionnaires, which Guinta completed, the ANCA endorsed Guinta and rallied local voters with a 72-hour get-out-the vote-campaign that featured phone banking and targeted emails.

Other challengers securing victories on Tuesday night included Robert Dold, who will succeed Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Mark Kirk in Illinois’ 10th district; Marlin Stutzman, elected to the seat vacated by Rep. Mark Souder in Indiana’s 3rd district; Hansen Clarke, who beat incumbent Representative Carolyn Kilpatrick Cheeks in the Democratic primary in Michigan’s 13th district; and David Cicilline, who will succeed retiring Congressman Patrick Kennedy in Rhode Island’s first Congressional District. ANCA activists in each of these states worked closely with the individual campaigns, volunteering for phone banks, emailing constituents and joining in a variety of “get-out-the-vote” activities.

Among the key ANCA endorsed incumbent winners were Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA), who will likely be the House Majority Leader, and Thaddeus McCotter, who is also set to remain in the Republican leadership. House Armenian Caucus CoChair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who received an A+ rating and was endorsed by the ANCA, survived a strong challenge by Republican Anna Little. Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.252) lead sponsor Adam Schiff (D-CA) won reelection by a broad margin, along with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA), who played a critical role in securing his Committee's passage of this human rights measure in March, 2010. Other supporter of Armenian American concerns did not fare as well, with Florida Democrat Ron Klein losing his re-election bid and Central Valley Congressman Jim Costa battling in a race that is still too close to call.

Members of Congress who have worked against Armenian American priorities and were defeated included Reps. Ike Skelton (D-MO) and Solomon Ortiz (D-TX), who spearheaded a Congressional letter to Speaker Pelosi in 2007 opposing House consideration of the Armenian Genocide Resolution. Other House members who received poor grades on the ANCA rating system and who lost their re-election bids were: Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Melissa Bean (D-IL), Chris Carney (D-PA), Chet Edwards (D-TX), Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX), Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and John Spratt (D-SC). Rep. Gerry Connolly, who voted and spoke against the Armenian Genocide Resolution in committee this past March, remains in a tight race that appears headed for a recount.

As a result of these elections, the Democratic majority in the Senate will narrow, and the U.S. House will shift from Democratic to Republican control, moving leadership of key committees, including Foreign Affairs and Appropriations, into the hands of GOP chairmen.

Unprecedented Armenian American Community and Campaign Outreach:

In dozens of states and hundreds of Congressional Districts across the United States in which ANCA endorsed candidates ran, the ANCA sent tens of thousands of customized email 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 email campaign was complemented by tens of thousands of phone calls by both volunteers and automated phone systems to Armenian American voters, each with individualized messages about the importance of voting for ANCA-endorsed candidates.

The ANCA's final push built upon months of voter registration campaigns and community education and empowerment programs. 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.



#####

ANCA Endorsed Candidates and How They Fared in the Midterm Congressional Elections

Senate:

Barbara Boxer (D-CA) – Won
Barbara Mikulski (D-MI) – Won
Harry Reid (D-NV) – Won
Chuck Schumer (D-NY) – Won
Russ Feingold (D-WI) – Lost

House of Representatives
(in State and District order)

Eni Faleomavaega (D-AS-AL) - Won
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-7) - Won
Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ-8) - Won
Mike Thompson (D-CA-1) - Won
Dan Lungren (R-CA-3) - Won
Doris Matsui (D-CA-5) - Won
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA-6) - Won
George Miller (D-CA-7) - Won
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-8) - Won
Barbara Lee (D-CA-9) - Won
John Garamendi (D-CA-10) - Won
Jerry McNerney (D-CA-11) - Too close to Call
Jackie Speier (D-CA-12) - Won
Pete Stark (D-CA-13) - Won
Anna Eshoo (D-CA-14) - Won
Michael Honda (D-CA-15) - Won
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-16) - Won
Sam Farr (D-CA-17) - Won
Dennis Cardoza (D-CA-18) - Won
Jim Costa (D-CA-20) - Too close to Call
Devin Nunes (R-CA-21) - Won
Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-22) - Won
Lois Capps (D-CA-23) - Won
Elton Gallegly (R-CA-24) - Won
Buck McKeon (R-CA-25) - Won
David Dreier (R-CA-26) - Won
Brad Sherman (D-CA-27) - Won
Howard Berman (D-CA-28) - Won
Adam Schiff (D-CA-29) - Won
Henry Waxman (D-CA-30) - Won
Xavier Becerra (D-CA-31) - Won
Judy Chu (D-CA-32) - Won
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA-34) - Won
Maxine Waters (D-CA-35) - Won
Laura Richardson (D-CA-37) - Won
Grace Napolitano (D-CA-38) - Won
Linda Sanchez (D-CA-39) - Won
Edward Royce (R-CA-40) - Won
Gary Miller (R-CA-42) - Won
Joe Baca (D-CA-43) - Won
Ken Calvert (R-CA-44) - Won
Mary Bono Mack (R-CA-45) - Won
Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA-46) - Won
Loretta Sanchez (D-CA-47) - Won
John Campbell (R-CA-48) - Won
Darrell Issa (R-CA-49) - Won
Brian Bilbray (R-CA-50) - Won
Bob Filner (D-CA-51) - Won
Diana DeGette (D-CO-1) - Won
Jared Polis (D-CO-2) - Won
John Salazar (D-CO-3) - Lost
John Larson (D-CT-1) - Won
Joe Courtney (D-CT-2) - Won
Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3) - Won
Jim Himes (D-CT-4) - Won
Chris Murphy (D-CT-5) - Won
Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-9) - Won
Ron Klein (D-FL-22) - Lost
Mazie Hirono (D-HI-2) - Won
Bruce Braley (D-IA-1) - Won
Walter Minnick (D-ID-1) - Lost
Bobby Rush (D-IL-1) - Won
Jesse Jackson (D-IL-2) - Won
Daniel Lipinski (D-IL-3) - Won
Mike Quigley (D-IL-5) - Won
Peter Roskam (R-IL-6) - Won
Danny Davis (D-IL-7) - Won
Janice Schakowsky (D-IL-9) - Won
Robert Dold (R-IL-10) - Won
Jerry Costello (D-IL-12) - Won
Donald Manzullo (R-IL-16) - Won
Peter Visclosky (D-IN-1) - Won
Marlin Stutzman (R-IN-3) - Won
John Yarmuth (D-KY-3) - Won
Anh "Joseph" Cao (R-LA-2) - Lost
John Olver (D-MA-1) - Won
Richard Neal (D-MA-2) - Won
James McGovern (D-MA-3) - Won
Barney Frank (D-MA-4) - Won
Niki Tsongas (D-MA-5) - Won
John Tierney (D-MA-6) - Won
Edward Markey (D-MA-7) - Won
Michael Capuano (D-MA-8) - Won
Stephen Lynch (D-MA-9) - Won
John Sarbanes (D-MD-3) - Won
Steny Hoyer (D-MD-5) - Won
Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD-6) - Won
Christopher Van Hollen (D-MD-8) - Won
Michael Michaud (D-ME-2) - Won
Dale Kildee (D-MI-5) - Won
Gary Peters (D-MI-9) - Won
Candice Miller (R-MI-10) - Won
Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI-11) - Won
Sander Levin (D-MI-12) - Won
Hansen Clarke (D-MI-13) - Won
John Conyers (D-MI-14) - Won
Timothy Walz (D-MN-1) - Won
Betty McCollum (D-MN-4) - Won
Keith Maurice Ellison (D-MN-5) - Won
Michele Marie Bachmann (R-MN-6) - Won
Collin Peterson (D-MN-7) - Won
Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO-5) - Won
Frank Guinta (R-NH-1) - Won
Robert Andrews (D-NJ-1) - Won
Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ-2) - Won
John Adler (D-NJ-3) - Lost
Christopher Smith (R-NJ-4) - Won
Scott Garrett (R-NJ-5) - Won
Frank Pallone (D-NJ-6) - Won
Leonard Lance (R-NJ-7) - Won
Steven Rothman (D-NJ-9) - Won
Donald Payne (D-NJ-10) - Won
Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ-11) - Won
Rush Holt (D-NJ-12) - Won
Albio Sires (D-NJ-13) - Won
Martin Heinrich (D-NM-1) - Won
Shelley Berkley (D-NV-1) - Won
Dean Heller (R-NV-2) - Won
Dina Titus (D-NV-3) - Lost
Tim Bishop (D-NY-1) - Won
Steve Israel (D-NY-2) - Won
Peter King (R-NY-3) - Won
Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY-4) - Won
Gary Ackerman (D-NY-5) - Won
Joseph Crowley (D-NY-7) - Won
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-8) - Won
Anthony Weiner (D-NY-9) - Won
Michael Grimm (R-NY-13) - Won
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-14) - Won
Charles Rangel (D-NY-15) - Won
Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) - Won
Nita Lowey (D-NY-18) - Won
John Hall (D-NY-19) - Lost
Paul Tonko (D-NY-21) - Won
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY-22) - Won
Dan Maffei (D-NY-25) - Won
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH-10) - Won
Betty Sue Sutton (D-OH-13) - Won
Steven LaTourette (R-OH-14) - Won
Zachary Space (D-OH-18) - Lost
David Wu (D-OR-1) - Won
Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4) - Won
Robert Brady (D-PA-1) - Won
Chaka Fattah (D-PA-2) - Won
Allyson Schwartz (D-PA-13) - Won
Mike Doyle (D-PA-14) - Won
David Cicilline (D-RI-1) - Won
James Langevin (D-RI-2) - Won
Charlie Gonzalez (D-TX-20) - Won
Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-25) - Won
Gene Green (D-TX-29) - Won
Jim Matheson (D-UT-2) - Won
Robert Scott (D-VA-3) - Won
Tom Perriello (D-VA-5) - Lost
Eric Cantor (R-VA-7) - Won
Frank Wolf (R-VA-10) - Won
Paul Ryan (R-WI-1) - Won
F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI-5) – Won