Ruth Papazian
Ruth Papazian (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent New York's 14th Congressional District. She did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on June 23, 2020.
Papazian completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Ruth Papazian earned a B.A. from Hunter College, and an M.S. from NYU Polytechnic. Papazian’s career experience includes working as a health and medical writer and editor.[1][2]
Elections
2020
See also: New York's 14th Congressional District election, 2020
New York's 14th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 23 Democratic primary)
New York's 14th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 23 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House New York District 14
Incumbent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated John Cummings, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, and Antoine Tucker in the general election for U.S. House New York District 14 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) | 71.6 | 152,661 |
 | John Cummings (R / Conservative Party)  | 27.4 | 58,440 | |
 | Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (Serve America Movement Party) | 0.9 | 2,000 | |
 | Antoine Tucker (R) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 222 | ||
| Total votes: 213,323 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Miguel Hernandez (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 14
Incumbent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Badrun Khan, and Sam Sloan in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 14 on June 23, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | 74.4 | 46,582 |
| Michelle Caruso-Cabrera | 18.1 | 11,339 | |
 | Badrun Khan | 5.0 | 3,119 | |
 | Sam Sloan | 2.2 | 1,406 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 143 | ||
| Total votes: 62,589 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- James Dillon (D)
- Jose Velazquez (D)
- Fernando Cabrera (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. John Cummings advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 14.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jineea Butler (R)
- Rey Solano (R)
- Israel Ortega Cruz (R)
- Scherie Murray (R)
- Ruth Papazian (R)
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. John Cummings advanced from the Conservative Party primary for U.S. House New York District 14.
Independence Party primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (Independence Party)
Serve America Movement Party primary election
The Serve America Movement Party primary election was canceled. Michelle Caruso-Cabrera advanced from the Serve America Movement Party primary for U.S. House New York District 14.
Working Families Party primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Working Families Party)
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ruth Papazian completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Papazian's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
• Tax policies that promote economic diversity in the East Bronx and Northwest Queens, and encourage companies like Amazon to create good jobs for those who live here. • School vouchers for charter and religious schools, as well as for specialized vocational schools, to improve K-12 education—for all students, including special needs students. • Border and immigration control is not just national security, but also neighborhood security. Keep out violent gangs like MS-13 and Trinitarios, and stop the flood of opioids into our neighborhoods.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
• Job creation • Vocational education • Infrastructure
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
To be a voice for your community, and represent their interests and aspirations with common-sense solutions to their problems.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
• Commitment • Courage • Fairness • Honesty • Loyalty • Passion • Patriotism • Reliability • Respect
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
To propose and support legislation that is in the best interest of the country as a whole, and of the community you represent, as well as to provide constituent services to the residents of your district. I firmly believe that instead of passing more laws, Congress should pass better laws -- laws that actually solve the problems they purport to address without creating unintended consequences that require still more laws to fix.
What legacy would you like to leave?
To be the best representative my district has ever had -- the most responsive, the most accountable, and the most effective.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
I love the Fourth of July even better than my birthday. My parents immigrated to the United States from Egypt -- a nation that had recently transitioned from a monarchy to a Socialist military dictatorship under Nasser, with the Muslim Brotherhood trying to take advantage of the upheaval by working towards establishing a theocracy. Independence Day has a special meaning for me, because my parents left everything and everyone they knew to ensure that their children would live free from the sectarian strife (to the point of genocide) common in other parts of the world; where women have the same legal rights, and opportunities for education and self-actualization as men; and where upward mobility is possible, regardless of your humble beginnings. Being born in this country is the best gift they have ever given me; the best gift they could ever have given me.
What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?
The House has the power of the purse -- the ability to tax and spend. This confers a unique responsibility to spend the nation's wealth wisely, and to root out fraud, waste and abuse. Taxpayers should not be treated as cash cows, and continually squeezed for increasingly greater shares of their incomes.
Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?
The House of Representatives should include people from all walks of life, rather than be a body comprised of millionaires and idealogues who do not represent the people who elected them.
If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
• Education and Labor • Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs • U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance • Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs • Judiciary
Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?
No, because you are always running for re-election. Four years is a more reasonable term -- for both the House and Senate, in my opinion.
What are your thoughts on term limits?
There are arguments in favor of term limits, as well as against. Pros of term limits: Politicians don't "go Washington" and become out of touch with their constituents. Also, fresh faces bring fresh perspectives and new ideas.Cons of term limits: Serving successive terms gives one experience, and the clout to move important legislation. And having a large number of inexperienced lawmakers in the legislative body increases the influence of lobbyists and activists.
Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He represented NY in the Senate as a Democrat and served as an adviser to President Nixon, a Republican. He put country over partisanship, and was a towering intellect.
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.
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
I am not a politician. I am a fed-up voter who decided to run after years of wondering why nothing ever gets done in Congress that helps my community. I pledge to join the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and work with Democrats and Republicans alike on legislation that will make life better for my constituents. Is there anything you would like to add? Unlike the incumbent, I am a lifelong resident of the district. People in this community who have clawed their way into the middle class, don’t want to be bankrupted by naïve, unworkable socialist policies. We are already among the highest taxed in the nation. The race isn’t about party. It’s about the people of the East Bronx and Northwest Queens having a voice in Congress again.[3] |
” |
| —Ruth Papazian[1] | ||
See also
2020 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook page
- Campaign Twitter page
- LinkedIn page
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on July 28, 2019
- ↑ Kate Carsella, “Email communication with Ruth Papazian," July 30, 2019
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
