Greek-Americans to have strong representation in Congress
The results of the US mid-term elections will allow the Greek-American diaspora to have, once again, a strong presence in Congress as well as in state and local levels, state-run news agency AMNA reports.
In Florida, Gus Bilirakis was re-elected over Democrat Kimberly Walker. In 97% of the polling stations, Bilirakis had gathered more than 70% of the votes. In New York, Republican Nicole Malliotakis, who had a narrow victory two years earlier, was declared the winner over Democrat Max Rose by more than 20 percentage points. In Maryland, John Sarbanes was re-elected for another year in Congress. The son of Senator Paul Sarbanes has been elected continuously since 2007, when he first ran for office.
In New Hampshire, Chris Pappas won a tough battle against Republican opponent Caroline Levitt. Before the election, his victory was considered difficult, as it was argued that it was one of the most vulnerable positions of the Democrats. In any case, his election is considered pivotal for Greece, as he has supported legislative initiatives such as the Turkish F-16 amendment.
Greece, however, gains another ally in Congress, the son of Bob Menendez, the head of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, who shares the same name as his father. He was elected in New Jersey.
At the state level, Alexi Giannoulias is making a strong comeback in the Illinois Department of the Interior. In New York, Andrew Gounardes and Michael Giannaris were re-elected to the state Senate.
[AMNA]
