Candidate with Deep Armenian-American Community Ties Determined to Win Race for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District Seat
MCLEAN, Va.—Nancy Najarian—a champion for Armenian-Americans, strong communities, quality jobs, and a world-class education for every child—has announced she is running for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District, represented for the past 24 years by now retiring Rep. Jim Moran D-Va. Committed to being a voice that will stand up for our community, Najarian has launched an aggressive fundraising campaign to meet the March 31st deadline—the first quarter of fundraising for a race that most likely will be decided in a June 10, 2014 primary. Nancy is positioning herself to be a strong contender in a very crowded field by raising early money from her supporters nationwide. Those committed to sending to the U.S. Congress a professional woman with strong ties to our community are urged to donate (bit.ly/PDLxtd) to Najarian for Congress campaign by March 31, 2014.
Nancy Najarian
The VA-8 district borders Washington, D.C., and includes the Cities of Arlington and Alexandria, home to the Alexandria-Gyumri Sister City Association and its annual Armenian Festival. The district also includes portions of Fairfax County, including parts of McLean and Falls Church, two military bases and the Pentagon. Raising significant funds will enable Najarian to place well in the first quarter, gain support from national women’s groups poised to support a competitive woman candidate, and position her to win the upcoming primary on June 10th—a winner takes all primary. With a district that is strongly Democratic, the likelihood of Najarian winning the general election as a primary winner is high.
“I want to bring to the U.S. Congress a steady support for issues affecting the average Armenian-American family. These include empowering small business owners to build and sustain their businesses, supporting children’s welfare and women’s healthcare issues, ending paycheck inequality gaps, increasing public education initiatives and investment in STEM education, and moving a stalled Congress forward by finding solutions to problems so that we all can enjoy a brighter future,” said Nancy Najarian.
Born in Boston (Mass.), raised in Belmont, baptized and later married in the Armenian Apostolic Church, Nancy Najarian, her husband Mike Stimson and their two children have been residents of Northern Virginia since 1995. Najarian is proud of her Armenian heritage and commitment to uphold her roots as an Armenian mother, a wife, a professional and small business owner. She is the granddaughter of Genocide survivors, and was inspired by her parents’ values of an honest day’s work, playing by the rules, and giving back to the Armenian community. Her business acumen and personal drive derives from the models her parents set. Her father, K. George Najarian, built a successful business from the ground up, her mother went back to school and earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees to become an educator, and her stepmother, Dr. Carolann Najarian, has devoted her life to providing charitable medical care in Armenia and the U.S. In addition, her parents, involved early with the relief effort following the 1988 Armenian earthquake and later with support for the newly independent Armenian government and its people, were outstanding models of how to apply Nancy’s professional expertise and academic training to her ethnic roots.
At the height of the Azeri blockade of Armenia and during the armed conflict supporting Nagorno Karabagh’s right to self-determination, Najarian moved to the newly independent Republic of Armenia. In 1992 she taught English to aspiring Armenian MBA students in Yerevan. Later she created and co-managed the non-profit, Technical Assistance for the Republic of Armenia (TARA Inc.), helping struggling Armenian entrepreneurs start businesses and bringing Diasporan Armenian professionals to assist Armenian private sector organizations. Najarian was an early Board Member of the Armenian Assembly’s grassroots arm, ARAMAC, raising U.S. government awareness of the severe consequences of the energy blockade against the Armenian people and the economy. Additionally, Najarian is a charter member of the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association, and after graduating with an M.S. focused on International Business and Trade, Najarian volunteered at the Armenian Embassy in Washington, D.C. for the Economic Attaché. As a volunteer fund-raiser, Najarian has raised funds for various Armenian organizations, was for years an active participant in the Armenian Network of America, and throughout her career has offered advice to aspiring Armenian Social entrepreneurs. She holds a Bachelor’s from NYU, and a Master’s from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C.,
For more details about Nancy Najarian review her prospectus (http://eviewer.co/prospectus/najariancampaignguideam/index.html).
To help put an Armenian-American in U.S. Congress donate (bit.ly/PDLxtd) to the Najarian for Congress campaign. Follow the campaign updates by joining the Twitter, Facebook and Google+ sites or by visiting Najarian for Congress website.