Foreign Policy for America Endorses Jirair Ratevosian (CA-30) for Election 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 2/09/2024

WASHINGTON D.C. - Foreign Policy for America announced today its endorsement of Jirair Ratevosian for election to the U.S. Congress as the Representative from California’s 30th Congressional District. Ratevosian is a federal policy leader, a public health doctor, and a former senior advisor at the U.S. Department of State.

“Jirair is an extraordinary leader – a lifelong public servant, a respected expert in public health, and someone who is completely devoted to serving this community,” said Andrew Albertson, Executive Director of Foreign Policy for America. “He has a rare ability to deliver results, moving from ideas to action. We saw that from his days working for Chairwoman Lee and we saw it when he advised the State Department on global AIDS relief efforts. With all his extraordinary experience, he would walk into Congress and immediately make an impact as an advocate for his community and for peace and justice around the world. For all those reasons, we are very proud to endorse Jirair as the best possible representative for the 30th District.”

Jirair Ratevosian, the son of Armenian and Lebanese immigrants, was born in Hollywood and raised in Sunland, California. Ratevosian began his career working for the Boston Public Health Commission and went on to serve as a national field organizer for the Health Action AIDS Campaign. He later joined Rep. Barbara Lee’s congressional staff as the Legislative Director, overseeing the budget, appropriations, foreign policy, and health portfolios. In August 2021, Ratevosian was nominated by President Biden to serve as a Senior Advisor to the Office of the United States Global AIDS Coordinator. Later, he rose to the position of Senior Advisor for Health Equity Policy, becoming the most senior Armenian American official in the history of the U.S. State Department.

Ratevosian joins other FP4A endorsed candidates: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (WI-Sen), Sen. Bob Casey (PA-Sen), Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-Sen), Rep. Colin Allred (TX-Sen), Rep. Andy Kim (NJ-Sen), Rep. Susan Wild (PA-07), Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Rep. Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06), Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Will Rollins (CA-41), Andrei Cherny (AZ-01), and Sarah Klee Hood (NY-22). Our endorsed candidates are chosen because of their consistent leadership in favor of diplomacy-first foreign policy. 

Foreign Policy for America is a nonpartisan advocacy organization working to strengthen support for principled American engagement in the world. We support policies that keep Americans safe and out of conflicts, advance prosperity for all, and are true to our country’s highest values. 

Media Contact: Benjamin Pearl, press@fp4america.org