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  • Avakian Takes Page From Wu With Ethnic Fundraisers

    AVAKIAN TAKES PAGE FROM WU WITH ETHNIC FUNDRAISERS
    By Jonathan J. Cooper

    Modesto Bee, CA
    San Francisco Chronicle, CA
    San Jose Mercury News , CA
    Oct 14 2011

    PORTLAND, Ore. -- In his bid for former Rep. David Wu's seat in
    Congress, Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian is using his family's ethnic
    roots to raise campaign cash from Armenian communities around the
    United States, even though Avakian had criticized Wu for out-of-state
    fundraising.

    During the past month, Avakian has held fundraisers with Armenian
    leaders in Ohio and California. The strategy is similar to one that
    helped Wu, one of the only Chinese-Americans to serve in Congress,
    feed his campaign bank account during his congressional career.

    "The Armenian community across the country is very interested in
    having people in Congress who will be champions for their issues,"
    Avakian told The Associated Press. "I was able to meet a lot of people
    in both places that were helpful to me."

    Avakian's campaign declined to say how much money he's raised from
    his efforts in Armenian communities. A group called Armenians for
    Avakian has raised $7,400 online for the Democrat, who faces a tough
    primary fight against two legislators.

    Avakian has traveled twice to Southern California, including a trip
    last week for a fundraiser hosted by celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos
    and a political committee that advocates interests important to
    Armenian-Americans.

    Last month, he held fundraisers in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio.

    Before Wu resigned in August after denying he made an inappropriate
    sexual advance, Avakian's campaign slammed Wu for raising much of
    his money from donors outside Oregon. In an email to supporters,
    the Avakian campaign said the election should be decided by Oregon
    voters, not "wealthy donors and special interests in Washington D.C.,
    California, and on the East Coast."

    Avakian said his outreach to Armenian Americans around the country
    is different because, unlike Wu in the last quarter of his campaign,
    Avakian is still getting much of his money from inside Oregon.

    Avakian's chief rival, state Sen. Suzanne Bonamici, also is tapping
    into a national donor network from Emily's List, which raises money
    for Democratic women running for office.

    According to an Armenian biography created by his campaign, Avakian's
    grandparents were both born and raised in separate towns in what is
    now eastern Turkey. Both left before the mass killing of Armenians
    in 1915 and eventually settled among a sizeable Armenian community
    in Fresno, Calif., where they met and were married.

    Avakian's father was one of 10 children. He settled with his wife
    and their two children in Beaverton when Brad Avakian was 9.

    "It'll be our dream come true to have a representative in the United
    States Congress and also a national pride," said Kevork Parseghian,
    a leader of the small Armenian community in Oregon.

    In Oregon, the Armenian community is relatively small, with only about
    300 families on the Armenian Community of Oregon mailing list. It's
    estimated there are a couple hundred more families with Armenian
    ancestry that haven't engaged with the group.

    Leaders of the Armenian community said Avakian wasn't particularly
    active before his campaign but the group would be proud to have a
    local Armenian represent them.

    The top political issue for Armenians is convincing the U.S. Congress
    to officially declare the mass killing of Armenians a genocide -
    a move opposed by Turkey, a key U.S. ally.

    Avakian would be the third Armenian American in Congress, joining
    Reps. Anna Eshoo and Jackie Speier, both California Democrats.

    Ballots are due Nov. 8 in the special primary election. Avakian faces
    Bonamici and state Rep. Brad Witt in the race for the Democratic
    nomination.

    http://www.modbee.com/2011/10/14/1904831/avakian-takes-page-from-wu-with.html




    From: A. Papazian
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