(Washington DC – October 5th, 2020) – Italian Americans for Biden/Harris today unveiled the founding membership of its National Leadership Council. The group is working to elect the Biden/Harris ticket — and to let all Italian American voters know that, if they win, Dr. Jill Giacoppa Biden will be the first Italian in the White House in American history.
Led by Honorary co-chairs — Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York and Gov. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island — Italian Americans for Biden/Harris has already held multiple events including national and international GOTV forums, separate policy and polling briefings, and fundraisers. Celebrities including actresses Alyssa Milano, Cindy Lauper, and Lorraine Bracco, Italian actor Terence Hill, and Bravo Top Chef Tom Colicchio have participated.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Romania Jim Rosapepe, who chairs the Leadership Committee, noted that there are large numbers of Italian Americans in the battleground states and many of them are independents and undecided voters. And, in Italy, more than 75,000 American citizens are eligible to vote in the United States.
Italian Americans for Biden/Harris has organized state groups in: Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. It is also working closely with Democrats Abroad/Italy, raising funds for digital ads letting Americans there know how to register and vote in the US.
“The National Leadership Committee includes leaders in Congress, statehouses, Italian American organizations, diplomacy, business, the professions, and organized labor,” Rosapepe said. “In the coming weeks, Italian Americans for Biden/Harris will redouble its efforts to get eligible voters to cast ballots, no matter where they currently call home.”
Committee members include retired United States Court of Appeals Judge Arthur Gajarsa, Aileen Sirey, Founder and Chair Emerita of the National Organization for Italian American Women, John Calvelli, Chair Emeritus, Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, Jeffrey M. Cappacio, former board member of the National Italian American Foundation, Robert Blancato, former National Italian American Foundation Director of Public Policy, Thomas Vaughn, Past National President, UNICO National; Vice-Chair, Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, Marc Perrone, President of the UFCW, Armand E. Sabitoni, General-Secretary Treasurer of LIUNA, Steve Richetti, Chairman of the 2020 Biden/Campaign, and former United States Ambassadors to Italy David Thorne and John Phillips.
Link: https://sites.google.com/iadlc.org/leadershipcouncil/home
“We all understand the 2020 presidential election in the United States has global implications, and electing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is the key the key to provide an opportunity to create stability, ethics, growth, and reuniting our great Nation and bringing back an orderly world subject to the rule of law,” said retired Judge Gajarsa. “Italian Americans for Biden/Harris is working every day – in every US time zone, and in Italy – to elect the Democratic ticket.”
“Let’s not forget that when we elect Joe Biden, an Italian American will occupy the White House for the very first time. Because Dr. Jill Giacoppa Biden will be First Lady,” Said award-winning actress Alyssa Milano. “Dr. Biden’s great-grandfather immigrated from Sicily. He found work in New Jersey making deliveries for a furniture store and his family was able to live out the American dream.”
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