Source: Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA)

Iranian American Received 88,000 Votes Across Massachusetts

December 11, 2009, Boston, MA- While receiving a series of high profile endorsements from former presidential candidate Wesley Clark and the Boston Globe, Alan Khazei placed third with over 88,000 votes (14%) in the Democratic Primary to replace the late Senator Ted Kennedy.

Khazei faced stiff competition against two well known public officials, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and U.S. Representative Michael Capuano , as well as Boston Celtics co-owner Pagliuca . Coakley took nearly 47% of the votes to become the Democratic nominee and will face off Republican State Senator Scott Brown in the January 2010 special election.

During his concession speech at the Omni Parker Hotel in Boston, Khazei said that he plans to return to "Be the Change", his citizen-activist group, and to focus on issues of equity and fairness for the lower and middle classes.

A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Khazei co-founded City Year in 1988 as a prototype domestic Peace Corps to engage young Americans of all backgrounds in a year of service. Through his leadership, City Year blossomed into a program which now enlists over 1,500 young adults in 20 communities across America. He is the citizen leader behind the bipartisan Edward Kennedy Serve America Act that the President signed into law earlier this year, dramatically expanding AmeriCorps and introducing a host of new policy initiatives to engage young people in revitalizing their communities. In 2006, U.S. News and World Report named Khazei one of America's 25 Best Leaders.

Khazei's campaign has provided him with a solid base of support and name recognition throughout the state of Massachusetts. "When we began this race we were at 1% in the polls, an unknown to almost everyone in Massachusetts," said Khazei. "But in ten short weeks our support grew significantly."

... Payvand News - 12/12/09 ... --