Jirair Ratevosian

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Jirair Ratevosian
Image of Jirair Ratevosian

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

March 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

UCLA, 2003

Graduate

Boston University, 2007

Ph.D

Johns Hopkins University, 2022

Personal
Religion
Greek Orthodox Christian
Profession
Government
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Jirair Ratevosian (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 30th Congressional District. He lost in the primary on March 5, 2024.

Ratevosian completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jirair Ratevosian earned a bachelor's degree from UCLA in 2003, a graduate degree from Boston University in 2007, and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 2022. His career experience includes working in government.[1][2]

Elections

2024

See also: California's 30th Congressional District election, 2024

California's 30th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 top-two primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 30

Laura Friedman defeated Alex Balekian in the general election for U.S. House California District 30 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Laura Friedman
Laura Friedman (D) Candidate Connection
 
68.4
 
213,100
Image of Alex Balekian
Alex Balekian (R) Candidate Connection
 
31.6
 
98,559

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 311,659
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 30

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 30 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Laura Friedman
Laura Friedman (D) Candidate Connection
 
30.1
 
46,329
✔
Image of Alex Balekian
Alex Balekian (R) Candidate Connection
 
17.4
 
26,826
Image of Anthony Portantino, Jr.
Anthony Portantino, Jr. (D)
 
13.3
 
20,459
Image of Mike Feuer
Mike Feuer (D)
 
12.3
 
18,878
Image of Maebe A. Girl
Maebe A. Girl (D) Candidate Connection
 
10.3
 
15,791
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
J. Emilio Martinez (R)
 
4.4
 
6,775
Image of Ben Savage
Ben Savage (D)
 
4.0
 
6,147
Image of Nick Melvoin
Nick Melvoin (D)
 
2.7
 
4,134
Image of Jirair Ratevosian
Jirair Ratevosian (D) Candidate Connection
 
1.9
 
2,889
Image of Sepi Shyne
Sepi Shyne (D)
 
1.4
 
2,126
Image of Courtney Najera
Courtney Najera (D) Candidate Connection
 
0.8
 
1,167
Image of Joshua Bocanegra
Joshua Bocanegra (No party preference)
 
0.5
 
780
Image of Stephen Dunwoody
Stephen Dunwoody (D)
 
0.5
 
727
Image of Francesco Arreaga
Francesco Arreaga (D)
 
0.3
 
532
Image of Sal Genovese
Sal Genovese (D)
 
0.3
 
442

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 154,002
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

Ratevosian received the following endorsements.

  • Frmr. U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D)
  • Frmr. U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D)

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Jirair Ratevosian completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ratevosian's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Currently, I am a congressional candidate for CA-30 with over two decades of experience in public service, non-profit, private sector, and diplomacy. I am a global health security and development leader who brings diverse and underrepresented communities together to solve big challenges. Raised in Los Angeles as the son of Armenian and Lebanese immigrants, I am driven by the values of resilience, community, and service. Throughout my career, I have a proven track record of forging partnerships with governments and international organizations, drafting legislation, and developing bipartisan political coalitions with diverse stakeholders. I most recently served as the most senior Armenian American official at the State Department, where I elevated the advancement of DEIA and equity policy, led the U.S. government effort to host the 7th Replenishment of the Global Fund, and advised the Biden-Harris campaign and transition team on COVID-19 and other health security matters. I hold a DrPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and I am fluent in Armenian. My candidacy for Congress is fueled by a vision of a more equitable, inclusive, and healthy society.
  • I’m running for Congress to deliver results for Los Angeles. As an experienced, queer, Armenian American, first born son of a large immigrant family, I am running to bring real representation and generational change to fight for all diverse communities who call Los Angeles.
  • I am in this race because we need experienced people who know how Congress works. My unmatched federal and foreign policy experience has shown me how Washington works and what needs to change to help make Los Angeles better, more prosperous, and more equal.
  • Even with all its dysfunction, I’m not cynical about Washington. I’ve directly been part of shaping critical legislation in the halls of Congress and I’ve worked hard to bring change and drive bipartisan initiatives to fight HIV, punish dictators, curtail wars, and lower prescription drug prices. Being successful in Congress and in Washington is about making the federal system work for people - and I already know how to work in the system to get things done for Los Angeles.
My identity and experiences as a member of the LGBTQ+ community have instilled in me a profound understanding of the importance of equality, justice, and protection of civil rights. Through my 20 year experience as an HIV community organizer, I have led political coalitions to dramatically expand HIV funding for California and nationally, modernize discriminatory policies targeting the LGBTQ+ community. I am determined to be a strong champion for LGBTQ+ rights in Congress and help lead the Equality Caucus. I will champion safe schools and safe spaces for all students. I will also expand affordability for sex couples to have children by allowing LGBTQ+ individuals to deduct costs of medical expenses related to assisted reproduction treatment
The Conscience of a Liberal: Reclaiming the Compassionate Agenda by Senator Paul Welstone.
I believe an elected official must be honest, accountable to people, and be a good listener. A little humility too can go a long way. I have the most Federal experience out of all the candidates in the race and previously worked in Congress. I will always be realistic to my constituents on what can be accomplished and will work hard to achieve accomplishments for them.
I believe that Members of Congress need to be looking out for the security and well being of all their constituents and the state they represent. This can be accomplished through writing laws or directing federal resources in the appropriations process. As a Member of Congress, elected officials must also hold other branches of government accountable through checks and balances.
I was 21 on 9/11. It was a wake up call that America is an idea we need to always fight for, and work collectively to perfect our democracy and standing in the world.
I was an ice cream scooper at Baskin Robbins over the summer break in High School.
Rules for Radicals.
Don’t Stop Believing by Journey has been stuck in my head for 20 years.
All revenue spending bills must originate from the House. I will use my experience as a previous Legislative Director working for an Appropriations Member of Congress to steer funding back to my Congressional district and ensure that we fund local governments and local nonprofit organizations.
Yes, this is why I am running. I have experience working in Congress and the State Department and I know exactly how to get things done and how to make the federal government work for people.
Congress is broken. We must break the gridlock that has led to an environment of performance politics where lawmakers are more concerned about growing their followers on Twitter than legislating. I am also concerned about Donald Trump and how he is threatening our Democracy by calling for election fraud in 2020 and engaging with an insurrection that attacked the Capitol.
I wish it was longer - but this is Constitutionally mandated. Based on my experience, members of the U.S. House of Representatives spend the first year governing and the second year preparing for re-election which makes it hard for them to be effective lawmakers.
Term limits can be an effective way of eradicating career politicians and making it harder for politicians to become deeply entrenched in their positions, potentially decreasing corruption and increasing accountability.
My congressional role models include Nancy Pelosi, Shirley Chisholm, and Barbara Lee for their integrity and bravery in standing firm on their principles, even if it means standing alone. Dr. Donna Christensen, for her leadership in healthcare and commitment to equity. Donald Payne, for his work in strengthening US-Africa relations. Jim McGovern, for his relentless dedication to combating poverty. And finally, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for her pioneering support of LGBTQ rights, challenging the norms of her party.
I’ll never forget the story of the single mother I met who defeated cancer because she had access to affordable health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. There are many stories like hers - that’s why I believe healthcare is a fundamental human right.
I believe that as elected officials, we must ultimately do what is good for America. I will be a pragmatic lawmaker and will work with all my colleagues in Congress in order to get results for my constituents.
With my previous experience working for a Member of Congress on the House Appropriations Committee, I know exactly how to direct federal resources to bring home funding to address key issues like climate change, homelessness, and affordable housing.
As part of checks and balances, the legislative branch must always hold the executive and legislative branches accountable. However, we are entering a dangerous era where House investigations are becoming more partisan and less rooted in fact. These investigations are more focused on hurting opponents politically than addressing a real issue.
Democrats Serve

Peace Action
Vote Common Good

Harvey Milk LGBTQ
When I am elected, I want to join the House Financial Services Committee to work on issues pertaining to public housing and urban development. I will also pursue the House Foreign Affairs Committee so that I can continue my work on global health.
I believe that the government needs to be accountable to the people and that we must be transparent about where our taxpayer money goes. This is why I will have an open door policy when it comes to engaging with constituents and educating them about the work that we are doing in Congress. We must also remove so-called dark money in elections which leads to corruption in politics.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Ratevosian submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on February 5, 2024.

See also

2024 Elections

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External links

Candidate

U.S. House California District 30
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 24, 2023
    2. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 5, 2024


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