Armenian-Americans to challenge congressional incumbents in 2010

[Alexandros]

Armenian-Americans to challenge congressional incumbents in 2010

Running in Senate race in Nevada, House races in Michigan, Ohio

by Emil Sanamyan

Published: Friday August 21, 2009


Danny Tarkanian, Natalie Manoogian Mosher, and David Krikorian.


Washington - At least three Armenian-Americans have launched electoral campaigns to take on incumbent members of Congress in the 2010 elections.

Danny Tarkanian, a Las xVegas businessperson of Armenian descent, is seeking the Republican Party nomination to challenge Senate Majority leader Harry Reid in the 2010 elections, Mr. Tarkanian's office reported on August 9.

Making the announcement, Mr. Tarkanian acknowledged he was facing long odds.

"I have no illusions about what I'm up against, but I also know I am doing the right thing," he said in a statement, adding that he would run on mainstay Republican issues, such as opposition to growth in government spending and regulation.

According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, six other individuals are seeking the GOP nomination in addition to Mr. Tarkanian, and Nevada Republicans were also reportedly seeking to recruit others.

But Sen. Reid, who is running for a fifth term in the Senate, is believed to be a strong favorite. His campaign expected to raise $25 million in campaign cash.

Nevada's other senator is John Ensign, a Republican who has recently admitted to an extramarital affair; he is not up for re-election until 2012.

Son of the nationally renowned basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, Danny Tarkanian previously ran for the Nevada State Senate in 2004 and Nevada Secretary of State in 2006, both times unsuccessfully. In the latter run he received votes of more than 230,000 Nevadans.

Both incumbent Nevada senators - Democrat Reid and Republican Ensign - have been supportive of Armenian-American issues.

Armenian Caucus member challenged in Michigan

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R.-Mich.), an active member of the Armenian Congressional Caucus, in his fourth term in Congress, is facing a challenge from an Armenian-American Democrat.

An educator and community activist, Natalie Manoogian Mosher is seeking the Democratic nomination in the 11th congressional district, which includes northwestern suburbs of Detroit, in the 2010 election. The district has elected Republican members of Congress since 1967.

As part of her campaign announcement earlier this year, Mrs. Mosher pledged to "make certain the Armenian-American community has an active and effective advocate" in Washington.

Michigan is one of the U.S. states most affected by the recession and Rep. McCotter is believed to be vulnerable. Mrs. Mosher has strongly criticized the incumbent Republican's opposition to the Obama administration's economic stimulus programs and healthcare reform proposal.

According to CQ Politics, the Michigan Democratic Party was seeking to recruit additional candidates to run against Rep. McCotter.

Armenian-Turkish debate in Ohio

David Krikorian is another Armenian-American seeking the Democratic Party's nomination ahead of the 2010 elections. Unlike the other two challengers, he is running against an incumbent who is opposed to the Armenian-xAmerican agenda and is supported by the Turkish lobby.

Republican incumbent Jean Schmidt is in her third term and represents Ohio's 2nd congressional district that includes parts of Cincinnati; the district has been under GOP control since 1983.

Last April Ms. Schmidt filed a complaint against Mr. Krikorian over his charges that she took money from Turkish government interests to oppose the congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide. As part of the complaint, Ms. Schmidt is represented by Turkish American Legal Defense Fund, an organization linked to the Turkish lobby. Mr. Krikorian in turn retained the help of Mark Geragos, a prominent attorney of Armenian-American descent.

The Ohio Elections Commission is expected to rule on the complaint on September 3.

connect:

https://www.dannytarkanian.org

https://www.mosherforcongress.com

https://www.krikorian2010.com

Link

[Alexandros]

Re: Armenian-Americans to challenge congressional incumbents in 2010

2010 SENATE CAMPAIGN: Polls show potential GOP challengers would beat Harry Reid

Tarkanian claims early GOP lead

By BENJAMIN SPILLMAN

Aug. 23, 2009, 2009 LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

It's the highest stakes ever for a Nevada election, and former boxer Sen. Harry Reid is on the ropes early. Either Republican Danny Tarkanian or Sue Lowden would knock out Reid in a general election, according to a recent poll of Nevada voters.

The results suggest the Democratic Senate majority leader will have to punch hard and often in order to retain his position as the most accomplished politician in state history, in terms of job status.

Nevadans favored Tarkanian over Reid 49 percent to 38 percent and Lowden over Reid 45 percent to 40 percent, according to the poll.

Reid's status makes him an icon of the Democratic Party and ties him to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and President Barack Obama, both of whom are losing ground among centrist and right-leaning voters in the country.

Winning "becomes more difficult when you are actually the one having to carry the water for the president," said Richard Davis, a professor of political science at Brigham Young University in Utah. "He (Reid) has got to get something out of the Obama administration that he can claim as his own."

But with the election more than a year away, Reid has plenty of time to attract more supporters to his corner.

Between now and November, 2010, Reid will attempt to show voters he can deliver lower health care costs and new jobs to Nevada, which has an unemployment rate pushing 13 percent.

"He fights for Nevada on those issues and others every day and he'll continue that battle to get our economy back on track," Reid spokesman Jon Summers said.

Reid also will remind voters, and influential fundraisers, that his in-state connections and national clout can pay dividends for all of Nevada.

"Senator Reid's leadership for Nevada has earned him broad support, including from nearly 150 Republican leaders in Nevada who recognize that he is a powerful voice for Nevada," Summers said.

Such talk doesn't impress Republican strategist Robert Uithoven, a Lowden supporter.

Lowden, chairwoman of the state Republican Party, hasn't officially started a campaign but has spent thousands of dollars to research her chances.

Uithoven says Reid's focus on power and money won't sway the 50 percent of everyday voters who, according to the poll, have an unfavorable view of him, compared to just 37 percent with a favorable opinion.

"A lot of what drives support toward Senator Reid is fear in this state. And I don't think fear is a good motivation for voters," Uithoven said.

But before Lowden or Tarkanian get to Reid, they'll have to deal with one another.

Jamie Fisfis, a consultant and pollster for Tarkanian, says his candidate, a real estate professional and former UNLV basketball player who has campaigned unsuccessfully for secretary of state and state Senate, is already laying important groundwork throughout the state, and the independent poll results back him up.

The statewide poll of 400 registered voters was taken Monday and Tuesday by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc., and has a margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points. Mason-Dixon then conducted an over-sampling of 300 Democratic voters and 300 Republican voters in which respondents were only asked questions about their party's primary race and not questions dealing with the general election. The margin of error for the additional polling is plus or minus 6 percentage points.

Among likely Republican primary voters, Tarkanian received support from 33 percent of respondents to Lowden's 14, albeit with 47 percent undecided.

"It shows what we have maintained to our supporters and those who have joined us early. Danny Tarkanian is the strongest candidate to beat Harry Reid," Fisfis said.

No matter which Republican emerges to challenge Reid, both acknowledge the race will get more difficult every day.

Reid, who intends to raise as much as $25 million for his re-election effort, is an experienced campaigner and will attract national forces to increase voter turnout in a state that has more Democrats than Republicans.

The Hispanic Institute, a national nonprofit aimed at increasing turnout among Hispanic voters, is preparing to launch the Nevada Voter Registration Project. The effort includes support from Temo Figueroa, who was the National Latino Vote Director for Obama's successful campaign. It could launch as soon as Labor Day weekend, according to Nevada organizers.

Whether such a voter drive can help Reid overcome the support deficit he has now remains to be seen.

Mason-Dixon managing director Brad Coker said it's unlikely Reid can generate the kind of voter enthusiasm Obama did in 2008.

"If Obama didn't register them, good luck," Coker said. "It is going to be harder to turn them out for Harry Reid than it was for Barack Obama. I suspect some of that might be the charisma quotient."

The poll also pitted a potential matchup between Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., against Reid. Heller said recently that he wouldn't run against Reid, but if he had gotten into the race the poll shows him ahead of Reid by 10 points.

Besides questions about the race for Reid's seat, respondents gave their views on the prospects for Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.

Ensign is embroiled in a scandal over an extramarital affair with a former staffer and subsequent payments of $96,000 from his parents to the family of the employee.

According to the poll, 30 percent of voters said they would re-elect Ensign, 23 percent would consider a challenger and 37 percent said they would vote to replace him. Last month, a Mason-Dixon poll showed 28 percent would re-elect Ensign, 30 percent would consider a challenger and 31 percent would vote to replace him.

Ensign's term doesn't expire until 2012.

"It is better for him the election is 2012 and not 2010," Coker said. "He may save 100 people from a burning building and everything will be forgiven."

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at [email protected] or 702-477-3861.

Source

[KanadaHye]

Re: Armenian-Americans to challenge congressional incumbents in 2010

I think Natalie will have an excellent chance in Michigan..... This is taken from the link you provided from her website.

CANTON, MICH. – Natalie Mosher recently announced that she has filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission officially making her a congressional candidate against incumbent Thaddeus McCotter in Michigan’s 11th district.

“I believe that voters are sick of the political finger pointing that is only compounding the hard work it takes to develop and then implement solutions to the urgent issues of our time. As a candidate for Congress, these issues weigh heavy on my mind. Whether it’s job losses, the credit crunch, falling home prices, affordable healthcare or the myriad of other challenges facing us – Democrats, Republicans and Independents are looking for one thing: solutions. And that’s why I’m running, to offer solutions that get Michigan back to the prosperity that we enjoyed just a few years ago and ensure that Armenian-Americans have a voice in Washington,” said Mosher.

Born in Detroit, Natalie is the granddaughter of Armenian Genocide survivors. From 1915 through 1920, they emigrated from Sivas and Marash, Turkey through Ellis Island and settled in Detroit. Natalie graduated from Michigan State University and currently lives in Canton with her husband Bob Mosher, a retired Ford engineer. Natalie and Bob have two grown children. Prior to entering the congressional race, Natalie worked as a non-profit development director, public school teacher and community activist.

“Whether it was working as a community activist, a teacher, a non-profit development director or a mother- I’ve always been the go-to person. No issue has been too big or too small for me to take on and get results. Simply put, I’m a doer … not a career politician. I enter this race to offer better ideas to help turn Michigan around. If elected, I will also make certain that the Armenian-American community has an active and effective advocate, who will work collaboratively with Congress and the Obama Administration to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide. Additionally, I plan to partner with the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, Representatives Frank Pallone and Mark Kirk, to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey, increase levels of technical assistance for the Republic of Armenia, support Nagorno Karabakh’s self-rule and direct relations with the Unites States, and advance U.S. policies that promote open borders and stability in the South Caucasus region,” said Mosher.

Mosher also outlined several key issues that she plans to talk about throughout the campaign. She supports creating alternative energy production and life sciences jobs in Michigan. Mosher is a proponent of pension protection, expanding unemployment benefits and is against free trade deals like NAFTA and CAFTA. She supports cracking down on spiraling health care costs and wants to reduce the number of uninsured in America. And as a former public school teacher, Mosher wants to transform public schools by refocusing efforts on pre-kindergarten for four year olds, reducing class sizes and helping more kids go to college.

“America and indeed Michigan are at a crossroads. We can be the generation that stood together, worked together and put Michigan back on the path to prosperity. Or we can be the generation that history harshly judges as the one that willingly sat on our hands and did nothing. I for one want to be a part of the solution and work toward common-sense remedies to the fundamental issues of our time,” concluded Mosher.

http://www.mosherforcongress.com/rel...ails.asp?id=27