Armenian Ardy Kassakhian could soon become California AssemblymanMay 21, 2016 - 11:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - With more than $1.2 million in outside spending already pouring in to the race in California Assembly District 43, it's clear there's a lot at stake for this safe Democratic seat, LA Times reports. There's a big factor that could affect the outcome: the district's large bloc of Armenian American voters. Armenians make up about 17% of the electorate in the district, and have become highly organized and are known to line up behind their own. That matters in this race because Glendale City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian, a second-generation Armenian American who was raised in Glendale, is facing Laura Friedman, a Glendale City Council member who has benefited from most of the outside spending, LA Times says. In a district where total turnout in recent presidential primaries has hovered around 50,000, the 45,000 eligible Armenian American voters here could swing the race in Kassakhian's favor in a crowded field of eight. Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. Partner news | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. Russia clarifying reports on Baku’s alleged arms supply to Ukraine Russia says is carefully working to verify reports about alleged arms supplies from Azerbaijan to Ukraine CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. |