LOS ANGELES–Supporters of the Armenian National Committee Political Action Committee (ANC-PAC)–the largest grassroots Armenian American public affairs organization–are enthusiastically raising funds in support of State Senator Jackie Kanchelian-Speier’s campaign for California Lieutenant Governor. Speier–who is the only Armenian American woman’serving in California’s State Legislature–faces a tough Democratic Party primary battle on June 6–2006. She is running for Lieutenant Governor against current California State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and San Francisco Bay area State Senator Liz Figueroa.
Members of the ANC family across the State of California have hosted four events in support of Jackie Speier’s campaign to date. If she wins her June 6 primary and the general election this November–Speier would hold the second most powerful political office in the state. In Sacramento–longtime ANC leader Hovannes Boghossian and his wife Silva hosted a successful event that drew over 50 members of the tight-knit Armenian community in the area. Supporters of the San Francisco ANC have hosted two events for Speier–at the homes of Garbis and Mayda Bezdjian and Jerry and Mariam Manoukian. In Los Angeles–ANC supporter Koko Topalian hosted an event for Speier at his home that drew a strong showing of support for Speier’s campaign.
"Jackie Kanchelian-Speier would make a fantastic Lieutenant Governor," said ANC-PAC representative Aida Dimejian. "She has had one of the most distinguished legislative careers in the history of our State Legislature and clearly deserves to be our State’s next Lieutenant Governor," added Dimejian.
"I am proud that an Armenian American woman of Jackie Kanchelian-Speier’s caliber is running for the second highest office in a state that is home to over 35 million people," commented ANC-PAC supporter Souzi Zerounian-Khanzadian. "Because Jackie cannot knock on millions of doors to ask people to vote for her–our community needs to raise the funds needed to help her reach millions of voters by airing her TV and radio commercials," she added.
The ANC-PAC (a non-partisan organization) seeks to elevate the level of political participation of Armenian American voters. Working in coordination with a network of supporters throughout the State of California–the ANC-PAC actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.