Congressman David Valadao (R-CA) has issued a statement conceding in his race to serve the people of California’s 21st Congressional District.

Valadao - the Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus - lost his re-election bid by a small margin - in a race with over 110,000 votes cast - in a district that stretches across the San Joaquin Valley - home to thousands of Armenian Americans.

Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Raffi Hamparian has offered the following statement in light of Rep. Valadao’s concession:

“For championing an Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Board of Directors federal legislative priority - which is to seek a totally mine-free Artstakh through U.S. funding for the HALO Trust - our organization salutes Congressman David Valadao’s honorable and distinguished service in the U.S. House of Representatives. The ANCA is proud of our record of standing with Congressman Valadao during his service in Congress and strongly endorsing his campaigns. The ANCA of Central California and our many supporters in California’s Central Valley fully understood that their region was well represented by David Valadao - first in the California State Assembly and later in the United States Congress.”