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ANCA Endorses Steve Rothman

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  • ANCA Endorses Steve Rothman

    ANCA ENDORSES STEVE ROTHMAN

    asbarez
    Friday, May 25th, 2012

    ANC of NJ activists with Congressman Rothman (L to R), Yervant
    Keshishian, Ani Tchaghlasian, Rep. Steve Rothman, James Sahagian,
    and Karine Shnorhokian.

    June 5 Primary pits Rothman, a strong pro-Armenian advocate, against
    Pascrell, the garden state's lone congressional opponent of Armenian
    issues.

    RIDGEFIELD, NJ-The Armenian National Committee of America, the
    nation's largest grassroots Armenian American advocacy group,
    has enthusiastically endorsed Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) for
    re-election in New Jersey's 9th Congressional District.

    The battle for the Democratic seat between incumbents Rep. Steve
    Rothman (D-NJ-9) and Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-8), which is expected to
    be a very close, represents a stark choice between Steve Rothman's
    strong record of support, and Bill Pascrell's opposition and
    indifference to Armenian issues.

    The ANCA will be working to ensure that Armenian American voters will
    be present at the polls on June 5th in favor of long time supporter,
    Steve Rothman. Redistricting has forced the two incumbents to face
    each other in the Democratic primary slated for June 5th, and the
    Armenian American vote will be critically important in helping reelect
    Rep. Steve Rothman.

    "Congressman Rothman has been a strong advocate of issues of concern
    to the Armenian community throughout his 16 years in Congress,"
    stated Karine Shnorhokian, ANCA of NJ co-chair. "He has been a leading
    advocate in Congress for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
    a fair and peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict, and
    the economic and democratic development of Armenia," Shnorhokian added.

    "The choice could not be starker or the stakes higher," said Aram
    Hamparian, a New Jersey native who serves as Executive Director of
    the ANCA. "Congressman Rothman, our friend and champion on each and
    every issue of concern to our community, is facing the lone Member of
    Congress from New Jersey who has opposed recognition of the Armenian
    Genocide and failed to support scores of pro-Armenian initiatives
    that have crossed his desk during his long years in Washington."

    The Rothman Record: Strong, Consistent Support for Armenian Issues
    Congressman Rothman was one of the original co-sponsors of the recently
    passed H. Res. 306, which called upon the Secretary of State to press
    Turkey to return stolen Christian church property and allow full
    freedom of faith for religious minorities. As a senior member of the
    House panel responsible for foreign aid, he has helped appropriate
    hundreds of millions of dollars for vital programs in both Armenia
    and Nagorno Karabakh.

    It was through Congressman Rothman's efforts several years ago
    that the Armenian American community learned about the true nature
    and purpose of the ill-fated and controversial Turkish Armenian
    Reconciliation Commission, which he learned was being funded by the
    State Department. Congressman Rothman has also consistently supported
    the full range of pro-Armenian legislative initiatives, and attended
    events to commemorate the Armenian Genocide and support Artsakh's
    independence. He joined the Armenian American community again this
    year for the annual Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide commemoration.

    Rep. Rothman has consistently received an "A" grade on the
    Congressional Report Cards issued every election cycle by the ANCA,
    while Rep. Pascrell has frequently earned "D" grades from the ANCA.

    Pascrell: Indifferent or Opposed to Armenian Issues Congressman Rothman
    is facing a difficult primary challenge from Congressman Pascrell,
    who currently is the incumbent in New Jersey's 8th Congressional
    District. Unlike Rep. Rothman, Rep. Pascrell has not cosponsored the
    Armenian Genocide resolution for over a decade, and has been mostly
    indifferent to many issues of concern to Armenian Americans. He
    did not cosponsor the Return of Churches resolution (H.Res. 306),
    which Congressman Rothman cosponsored and overwhelmingly passed the
    House of Representatives in December 2011. Pascrell was, in fact,
    the only member of Congress to withdraw his cosponsorship of the
    Armenian Genocide resolution in 2000.

    At times, Rep. Pascrell has stood out as the only member of the New
    Jersey Congressional delegation not to support Armenian American
    initiatives. Moreover, instead of attending the annual Capitol Hill
    Armenian Genocide commemoration, Congressman Pascrell was one of only
    a few members to attend the opening of new offices for an Armenian
    Genocide-denying organization, the Turkish Coalition of America.

    These two incumbent New Jersey Democrats are facing each other in
    the newly drawn 9th congressional district primary on June 5, due to
    the Census-driven loss of one Congressional seat in New Jersey. The
    newly constituted 9th District includes parts of Bergen, Passaic,
    and Hudson Counties. It is a district that several thousand Armenian
    Americans call home.

    Learn more about the Rothman campaign.


    From: Baghdasarian
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