Election Results for IAPAC Congressional Candidates

By PAAIA Government Affairs Office

November 4, 2010, Washington, D.C. – The Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC), is pleased to announce that a majority of the federal candidates it had endorsed in 2010 and who were on the November ballot prevailed in the elections.   IAPAC congratulates these candidates on their victory and looks forward to working with them in the coming 112th Congress.  

A couple of the candidates faced particularly challenging elections.  Governor Charlie Crist of Florida fell short in his independent bid for the U.S. Senate.  Representative Patrick Murphy (D-PA), who led the charge in the House to change the Pentagon’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, lost to former Representative Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA).

Representative Donna Edwards

Meanwhile, longtime friends of the Iranian American community such as Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), Representative Michael Honda (D-CA), and Representative Frank Wolf (R-NY) cruised to victory on election night.  A proponent of rational visa policies, Senator Schumer led efforts to ensure that our post 9/11 non-immigrant visa policies would not only protect our national security but at the same time not impose undue hardships on American citizens who have family and friends abroad, including Iranian Americans.   Representative Honda was the sponsor of House Resolution 267, which recognizes the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz, expresses appreciation to Iranian Americans for their contributions to society, and wishes Iranian Americans and the people of Iran a prosperous new year. Representative Wolf was an original cosponsor of the Nowruz Resolution and currently serves as the co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.    

IAPAC is the registered bipartisan connected PAC of the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), which contributes to candidates for public office who are attuned to the domestic concerns of the Iranian American community. IAPAC focuses exclusively on domestic policy issues such as civil rights and immigration, and encourages Americans of Iranian descent to actively participate in the American electoral process.

Representative Henry Waxman

Congressional candidates supported by IAPAC have an exceptional track record on domestic issues of importance to the Iranian American community, have articulated a readiness to engage and work with Iranian Americans, or are in a position to have influence over the domestic legislative issues of concern to the community. Foreign policy issues are not taken into consideration for supporting or opposing a particular candidate.

The triumphant candidates are listed here. 

Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY)

Representative Brian Bilbray (R-5oth/CA)

Representative Donna Edwards (D-4th/CA)

Representative Randy Forbes (R-4th/VA)

Representative Mike Honda (D -15th/CA)

Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-14th/NY)

Representative John Mica (R-7th/FL)

Representative Henry Waxman (D-30/CA)

Representative Robert Wittman (R-1st/VA)

Representative Frank Wolf (R-10th/VA)

Click here to learn more about all the candidates supported by IAPAC.
Click here to view election results for Iranian Americans on the November ballot.