ANCA District Days Launches Local Armenian American Outreach to the New Congress

— February 16-19 meetings to engage more than 100 new Members of Congress, returning lawmakers, and state and local officials

WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian Americans will meet with newly elected and returning Members of Congress, along with state and local officials, in their home districts February 16-19, 2027, during ANCA District Days, a national grassroots initiative announced by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) at its November 5th Nationwide Townhall.

District Days falls during Presidents’ Day week, traditionally a Congressional district work period, just weeks after the 120th Congress and new state legislative sessions convene. Armenian Americans in communities large and small, from cities with Armenian churches and schools to towns where a few Armenian families keep their heritage alive, will introduce themselves to more than one hundred new Members of Congress and their district staff. They will also build on the long-standing relationships Armenian Americans have with returning Senators and Representatives, and meet with state legislators, governors’ offices, mayors, county leaders, and city council members.

“We look forward to building on the ANCA’s proud legacy of earning national political power one voter, one district, one state at a time – as a community with deep roots across the American heartland, a cause that resonates even more deeply within the American soul,” said ANCA Chairman George Aghjayan.

Strengthening Local Ties

District Days builds on the outreach ANCA chapters and community members carry out year-round with federal, state, and local officials, from district office visits and local town halls to community events with elected officials. The February meetings center on community: who Armenian Americans are, where they live and gather, and what they contribute to the life of each district.

In Congressional meetings, advocates will also share the ANCA’s priorities for the new Congress, including freeing the Armenian hostages held in Baku, securing the right of return for Armenians forcibly displaced from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), and enforcing Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. With state and local officials, advocates will highlight a broad range of community priorities, from Armenian Genocide education in schools and April 24th proclamations to resolutions supporting Artsakh’s Armenians, the release of Armenian hostages, and local development projects.

“Armenian Americans spent this election cycle building national political capital. District Days is how we invest that capital in our local communities,” said ANCA National Grassroots Director Gev Iskajyan. “More than one hundred new Members of Congress take office in January, most without a deep record on our issues. That is an opening, and we intend to use it, with Armenian Americans in district after district making sure their new Representatives and Senators know our community and our priorities from the very start.”

ANCA chapters and local advocates will request in-person meetings with their Members of Congress and state and local officials, coordinating with the ANCA’s national, regional, and local teams. A preparatory ANCA webinar will cover requesting a meeting, introducing the local Armenian American community, and following up with elected officials’ offices.

“Our chapters know their elected officials well, from April 24th commemorations and Armenian flag raisings at city halls and state houses to Armenia and Artsakh programs, cultural events, and the everyday work of constituent services. District Days carries that local presence to every level of government, from the new Congress to our state capitols and city councils. As new officials settle into their offices, Armenian Americans will be among the first constituents they engage,” said ANCA Eastern Region Chair Dr. Ara Chalian.

“All politics is local. For Armenian Americans across the West, that means our churches, our schools, our family businesses, and our civic organizations, along with the families who carry our heritage in every neighborhood they call home,” said Oshin Harootoonian, Chair of the ANCA Western Region. “Those communities meet their government first through district and constituent staff, the front line of every elected official’s office from Congress to city hall. When those staff know our community members by name, our voices are carried further. District Days lets us show newly elected and returning officials alike, from their very first weeks, that Armenian Americans are their neighbors, their voters, and their partners in the communities they serve.”

Building Toward Washington

District Days joins the ANCA’s year-round grassroots advocacy at the local, regional, and national levels. The February district meetings lead into the ANCA Rising Leaders Youth Impact Forum sessions – March 6-9th and March 13-16^th – and ANCA Advocacy Days in Washington, DC in September. Dates for Advocacy Days will be finalized once the 2027 Congressional calendar is released.

This past September, over 100 Armenian Americans from 30 states held more than 150 Congressional policy consultations during ANCA Strategic Advocacy 2026 on Capitol Hill.