Assemblymember Laura Friedman has received the endorsement of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) for her upcoming congressional race for California’s 30th Congressional District.
The endorsement was posted in a September 13th press release by ANCA, where the committee praised Friedman for demanding accountability from Azerbaijan for the ethnic cleansing of Armenian’s in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, stating “Assemblymember Friedman and her colleagues called on the international community to hold Azerbaijan accountable for the 10-month blockade of Artsakh’s 120,000 Armenians from December 2023 to September 2023 and the forced displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh’s entire Armenian population in September 2023.”
ANCA went on to say:
“The ANCA has endorsed Friedman, a steadfast advocate for the Armenian American community and a champion for human rights, in her election bid to represent California’s 30th Congressional District. She is running for the seat being vacated by Representative Adam Schiff, who the ANCA has endorsed in his U.S. Senate run. As Friedman’s congressional campaign gains momentum, her advocacy on critical human rights issues continues to resonate with voters in California’s 30th District, home to one of the largest Armenian American populations in the country.”
ANCA’s endorsement of Friedman came in as a surprise to many who expected the committee to endorse her Republican opponent, Alex Balekian.
Balekian posted a response to his social media platforms stating “I’m not feeling anger. I’m definitely not feeling acceptance. What I’m feeling right now is abandonment” before stating that politicians don’t take the Armenian community seriously because “three out of four Armenians didn’t bother to vote.”
Others were more optimistic about ANCA’s endorsement. One user on the Glendale subreddit reacted to the news, saying “Everytime an Armenian has ran for Congress in our district, the ANCA has endorsed the non-Armenian Democrat. As an Armenian, I’m really glad they don’t fall for supporting the Armenian just because they’re Armenian.”
Friedman is known for her support of US recognition of Artsakh as an independent nation.
ANCA has also previously praised Friedman’s remarks regarding Artsakh in the California Assembly.
Friedman advanced to the November general election after coming in first with 30.1% of the votes in the March 5, 2024 primary. Balekian advanced to the general after coming in second in the March primary, with 17.4% of the votes.
Friedman and Balekian will face off in the upcoming November 5, 2024 election for California’s 30th Congressional District.
