The results of the mid-term elections in the USA will allow the Greek diaspora to have, once again, a strong presence in Congress as well as in state and local levels.
At all levels of the federal government, as well as at the local level, many expatriate as well as Philhellenes politicians managed to be re-elected or elected for the first time to public office.
House of Representatives and Senate
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: 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. This is the son of Philhellene 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 powerful comeback in public life in the Illinois Department of the Interior. This is a very promising Greek-American, whose course is rather interesting. In New York, Andrew Gounardes and Michael Giannaris were re-elected to the state Senate.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
