Armenian Ardy Kassakhian could soon become California Assemblyman

PanARMENIAN.Net - With more than $1.2 million in outside spending already pouring in to the race in California Assembly District 43, it's clear there's a lot at stake for this safe Democratic seat, LA Times reports.

There's a big factor that could affect the outcome: the district's large bloc of Armenian American voters.

Armenians make up about 17% of the electorate in the district, and have become highly organized and are known to line up behind their own.

That matters in this race because Glendale City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian, a second-generation Armenian American who was raised in Glendale, is facing Laura Friedman, a Glendale City Council member who has benefited from most of the outside spending, LA Times says.

In a district where total turnout in recent presidential primaries has hovered around 50,000, the 45,000 eligible Armenian American voters here could swing the race in Kassakhian's favor in a crowded field of eight.