DETROIT—A record number of Armenian Americans cast “uncommitted” votes in Michigan’s Democratic presidential primary today as a protest against President Joe Biden’s complicity in Azerbaijan’s genocide of Artsakh’s indigenous Armenians, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“Joe Biden made his choice – arming Azerbaijan’s genocide of Armenians. Today, we made ours – holding him accountable for enabling this crime,” stated ANCA National Board member and Michigan leader Dzovinar Hatsakordzian. “We are proud to have done our part, delivering record-level Armenian voter turnout that helped drive a strong statewide showing for the ‘uncommitted’ campaign.”
Hatsakodordzian, in an op-ed published in The Armenian Weekly earlier this month, shared the litany of reasons why Michigan’s Armenians cast “uncommitted” ballots, including:
– Biden materially armed and morally emboldened Azerbaijan’s genocide of Artsakh.
– Biden has refused to condemn Azerbaijan’s crimes. He conducts business as usual with its genocidal government, and he refuses to enforce sanctions against its leaders.
– Biden sent zero aid to Artsakh prior to Azerbaijan’s blockade and has sent almost no aid to the refugees created by Azerbaijan’s aggression.
– Biden blocked United Nations initiatives to condemn Azerbaijan and has, post-genocide, failed to lead, introduce or even support U.N. resolutions to enable the safe return of Armenians to Artsakh under an international mandate.
– Biden has opposed each and every congressional measure aimed at holding Azerbaijan accountable, supporting Artsakh refugees or securing the release of Armenian POWs.
– Biden approved the sale of F-16s to Turkey, even though Turkey illegally deployed these advanced fighters to Azerbaijan during its 2020 attack.
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian explained, “It has always been bad policy to back Azerbaijan’s genocidal Aliyev regime. Now it’s bad politics too.”
In the days leading up to the Michigan Democratic primary, news outlets, including POLITICO and the New York Times, cited the role of the ANCA and Michigan Armenian voters in fueling the growing “uncommitted” vote movement.
ANCA pushed back against claims by Biden aides, reported in POLITICO, that the president’s 2021 recognition of the Armenian Genocide was proof of his “human rights bona fides.” ANCA Programs Director Alex Galitsky explained, “Seeing the outrage of Armenian American voters, Biden’s aides are trying to cover up his complicity in Azerbaijan’s genocide of Artsakh by cynically instrumentalizing his recognition of the Armenian Genocide to score political points. Armenian Americans won’t be fooled twice.”
The ANCA ran an extended X (formerly known as Twitter) campaign citing the vital role Armenian Americans will be playing during Democratic primaries in key swing states. “In 2020, Biden carried Michigan – a state with 72,000 Armenian Americans – by just 154,188 votes (50.6-percent to 47.8-percent),” stressed the ANCA, noting that “the path to victory goes through Michigan.”
Based on community demographic research, the ANCA estimates there are 206,000 Armenians across the six swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin – positioned to play a decisive role in the hotly-contested 2024 presidential election.
Latest posts by ANCA (see all)
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- 66 U.S. representatives urge congressional appropriators to allocate $200 million for Artsakh genocide victims - May 1, 2024
- Titus and Bilirakis lead bipartisan bill to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals - April 29, 2024
Thank you ANCA and ANC-MI, job well done.
We stand with America, not Russians! With Russians, all you get are kartoshkas!
I am from Istanbul, and moved to Erivan. Nikol Pashinyan is hero, who gave us democracy, and path forward with brotherly Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Russians are mud. Let’s support American democracy, the way American democracy supports hero, Nikol Pashinyan
It’s Yerevan not Erivan. . .we have Ararat not aghri. I never heard of giving up parts of our Armenian Highland, destruction of our culture and church will make our country a democratic modern state.
Beware of the Istanbul Armenians. They are a brainwashed lot and are apologists for Turkey. (Of course being a dissident and challenging the official Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide, is a very dangerous thing to do in Turkey, especially if you are an Armenian and which cost the brave local Armenian journalist Hrant Dink his life, when he did just that and was murdered in 2007 by a Turkish nationalist. His assassin and his collaborators were all released by 2023.) Their media and prominent members are practically ambassadors for Turkey’s national interests, which would make any Turkish nationalist proud.
You are from Turkey and you stand with America while your president Erdogan has closer relations with Russia than he does with the United States? Only 20% of Turkish citizens trust the United States. They consider Russia much less of an enemy than they do the United States.
When a Turk says an Armenian leader, like Pashinyan, is a hero that surely raises a red flag. That means he is doing what you want him to do. Pashinyan is NO hero. He is a traitor to the Armenian nation. He did not give us democracy and you can have him all to yourselves. And I as an Armenian will consider Turks and pseudo-Turkish Azerbaijanis ‘brotherly’ when pigs grow wings!
BUT I thought that the ARF liked Biden because he recognized he Genocide of 1915. You all are so blind.
Yes a bit of an odd one as Joe Biden is known for sympathy to Armenia and distrustful views on Turkey.
What’s a “record number of Armenians”? Did the ARF conduct a poll? How many voting eligible registered Armenians live in Michigan? More bombastic rhetoric!
Am shivering with these confusing and contradictory assessments of our dramatic Armenian history and identity. A new up to date political /diplomatic consciousness is necessary.
Right now a neo/soviet Ottoman repressive and nationalistic oligarchic regime is pushing to destruction UN ideology architecture and Western rule of the law
democracies.
Main actors Turkey/Azerbaijan with Poutine a hostage – escalating a Power stricken and wealth based material power system of governance versus human rights ideology.
Pashinian opted for democracy. Biden stopped funding Azerbaijan. A proTurkish deputy was dismissed. ANCA is fighting for Armenian identity and rights but is unbacked by overall Armenian communities. Macron is the best ally. However given the Ukraine war and underground plans of rebuilding Near Easter/Caucasian agressive and unilateral powers. The diplomatic world is in a dead lock. Until transparency overrules corruption and fake propaganda and schemes. Bursts open the abscess … of
conquest, the world is in a deadlock. lock.