[FREE IRAN Project] In The Spirit Of Cyrus The Great

[asher]

http://www.ameriforcongress.com/.docs/rid/106/pg/10014


May 19th, 2004
OPB: Tough Congressional Races Expected This Fall

By Colin Fogarty


PORTLAND, OR 2004-05-19 (Oregon Considered) - Democrats and Republicans in Oregon are gearing up for two competitive congressional races this fall. After last night's primary election, Republicans had chosen attorney Jim Zupancic and high-tech consultant Goli Ameri as their party's nominees to take on two Democratic incumbents.

At Goli Ameri's campaign party at a downtown Portland hotel, a nervous crowd eagerly awaits the election results. The numbers show Ameri beating her two Republican opponents soundly.

But the results are not just news in Oregon's 1st Congressional District.

Nastaran Akhazan Khamneipur: I'm calling my friends in LA. They're all waiting.

Nastaran Akhazan Khamneipur and her husband Hamid Khamneipur say they were inspired to come up from southern California to support Ameri, in part because of the pride of having a fellow Iranian-American running for Congress.

Hamid Khamneipur: She would be tremendous enrichment for the Americans, not only for the Iranian Americans, for the Americans. And is why I was thrilled to support her especially in these sensitive times.

Ameri out-maneuvered her opponents by courting anti-tax groups and siding with their effort to repeal a state income tax hike on the ballot in February. But she also discussed national security issues on the campaign trail, arguing for putting a Persian American voice in Congress.

In her victory speech, Ameri said she had just spoken to her father on the phone.

Goli Ameri: I mean to be chased out of Iran in 1979 and 25 years later his daughter is the Republican candidate for Congress in Oregon.

With Ameri as the nominee, the race pits two immigrants with personal stories of achieving the American dream. Three-term Democrat David Wu's family immigrated here from Taiwan when he was a child.

But both candidates are already sounding out campaign themes that are more partisan and less personal. Ameri portrays Wu as an advocate of government waste. And Wu fires back that his opponent's policy's are too close to President Bush's.

David Wu: This race is not really about my parents. It's not about my place of birth. It's not about me. It's about what Oregonians want and eed and about having an independent vision for the future rather than marching in lock step with the administration on domestic or foreign policy.

Wu has amassed a significant campaign war chest for his re-election bid. Ameri collected more than a million dollars, most of which she spent fending off two rivals in the GOP primary.

Now, both will be seeking national campaign donors since Oregon's 1st Congressional District is a swing seat. The same is true for Oregon's 5th District.

Four-term Democrat Darlene Hooley expects a spirited contest.

Darlene Hooley: The House is fairly closely divided between Republicans and Democrats. And one of the things that happened this last time in redistricting, which I think is sad is so many seats became either more Republican or more Democratic. So there are fewer and fewer seats that are really evenly divided.

Hooley had little trouble overcoming a primary challenge from newcomer Andrew Kaza. Her Republican opponent will be Lake Oswego attorney Jim Zupancic, who defeated state Senator Jackie Winters to face Hooley in November.