WASHINGTON, DC–Community activists from the Armenian National Committee of America’s (ANCA) national headquarters, regional offices, and local chapters participated this week in conference calls organized by the Kerry-Edwards campaign to consult with ethnic leaders nationwide.

Representatives from ethnic groups, including the Irish, Italian, Serbian, Greek, German, Polish, Albanian, Portuguese and Ukrainian communities, spoke, in two separate July 8th conference calls, with Kerry/Edwards National Campaign Chairwoman, former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen, and National Campaign Co-Chairman, Los Angeles City Councilman Antonio Villaragosa. ANCA representatives, as well as “Armenians for Kerry-Edwards” activists praised the campaign’s energetic outreach to engage ethnic communities.

Governor Shaheen and Councilman Villaragosa cited the key role that ethnic communities will play in the upcoming elections, as both the Democratic and Republican campaigns vie to win support in the more than fifteen hotly contested, highly ethnic “battleground” states, which will play the determining factor in the Presidential race this November. “The one thing we understand in this campaign is that, when taken together, they [ethnic groups] are a big slice of the American electorate . . . Our ability to communicate with these communities will take us far in November,” explained Councilman Villaragosa. The campaign leaders also provided their insights into Sen. Kerry’s announcement this week of Senator John Edwards as his Vice-Presidential running-mate.

“It was very energizing to participate in the conference call – and have the opportunity to interact and exchange views – with the senior leaders of the Kerry/Edwards campaign,” said Alina Azizian, who is active with the San Francisco/Bay Area “Armenians For Kerry/Edwards” team. “Sen. Edwards, having been brought up as the son of a textile worker, is an icon of the American Dream which so many Armenians and other ethnic Americans can relate to.”

The conference call is part of a multi-faceted, nationwide Kerry-Edwards campaign effort to reach out to ethnic community organizations, energize ethnic voters, and ensure that the voice of America’s diverse communities are heard at the highest levels of the campaign. Campaign Ethnic Outreach Coordinator George Kivork, himself of Armenian descent, has been a key figure in this effort, developing a powerful coalition of ethnic community supporters for the Kerry-Edwards ticket.