PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In his bid for former Rep. David Wu’s seat in Congress, Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian is using his family’s ethnic roots to raise campaign cash from the Armenian community around the United States. But Avakian previously criticized Wu for out-of-state fundraising.
Over the past month, Avakian has held fundraisers with Armenian leaders in Ohio and California. The ethnic fundraising strategy is similar to one that helped Wu feed his campaign bank account during his congressional career.
Wu is one of the only Chinese-Americans to be elected to Congress. He resigned in July.
Avakian’s campaign declined to say how much money he’s raised from his outreach to the Armenian community.
