Photo Caption: Mr. & Mrs. Ara and Sandy Bedrosian with Republican Congressman Mark Kirk of Illinois.
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ANC-PAC Holds Fundraiser For Republican Congressman From Illinois
April 15, 2008
Los Angeles, CA - Friends and supporters of the Armenian National Committee - Political Action Committee (ANC-PAC) gathered on April 12th at the California Club in downtown Los Angeles to support the reelection campaign of Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL). The Congressman, who has long been a staunch supporter on Armenian issues in the U.S. House of Representatives, is a member of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations. He serves on the spending committee's State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs subcommittee, which sets spending levels for all U.S. foreign aid programs, including those for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh.
"Congressman Kirk is a strong ally of the Armenian Cause on Capitol Hill," commented ANC-PAC Chairman Armen Martin after the event. "Congressman Kirk's reelection this November is one of the ANC-PAC's foremost priorities. The ANC-PAC, which has always stood by our friends in Congress, is proud to be backing the Congressman's congressional campaign," he added.
Congressman Kirk represents the 10th Congressional District of Illinois located in the suburbs north of Chicago. The Congressional District is home to thousands of Armenian American constituents, All Saints Armenian Church and Community Center, and a very strong chapter of the Armenian National Committee. During the last election cycle in 2006, Kirk received a grade of "A" from the Armenian National Committee of America's congressional report card.
Also in attendence, was a representative from The National Organization of Republican Armenians (NORA), Peter Musurlian. "NORA appreciates Congressman Kirk's efforts on behalf of his constituents," remarked Mr. Musurlian. "His strong support for U.S. assistance for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh and his role in carefully examining whether our tax dollars should be spent to prop up the oil oligarchy in Azerbaijan, is very much appreciated by NORA's thousands of supporters in Illinois and across the nation," Musurlian added.
Now in his fourth term, Congressman Kirk was first elected to Congress in 2000 with the strong support of the Armenian American community. In his first election, he faced over a dozen opponents in the Republican Primary. As he well remembers, Armenian American voters came out in record numbers to give him the boost he needed to win the primary and then succeed in the general election months later. The Congressman's familiarity with Armenian issues began nearly two decades ago when he started his political career as an aide to Congressman John Porter, the founding chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.
Congressman Kirk is a Naval Reserve intelligence officer who served during conflicts with Iraq, Haiti, and Bosnia. He served four tours at sea and three in Panama. The U.S. Navy named Kirk 'Intelligence Officer of the Year' in 1999 for his combat service in Kosovo. Kirk flew on missions over Iraq and continues to serve one weekend a month in the Pentagon. Kirk is the only member of Congress to serve stateside during Operation Iraqi Freedom and was an air crewman over Iraq during Operation Northern Watch.
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 Americans engagement on the public policy issues facing national political leaders, both in the U.S. Congress and the White House.
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