Eleni tsakopoulos kounalakis lt governor of south
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Capitol Journal: Eleni Kounalakis can carve out a meaningful role as lieutenant governor. It’s in her genes
Reporting from Sacramento — Here is a new rags-to-riches American Dream story that’s a little different:
A Greek family is forced to share its modest home with enemy Nazi soldiers for three years during World War II.
After peace returns, the family’s teenage son bolts to America by himself.
He works as a farmhand — does any kind of job he can find — and eventually becomes a very rich land developer.
His daughter grows up to be California’s first elected female lieutenant governor.
“I learned from my father that being involved in the democratic system was an incredible privilege,” says Lt. Gov.-elect Eleni Kounalakis. “People in Greece couldn’t be involved in their own government if they were just villagers.”
Kounalakis, 52, won her first race for elective office last week, beating state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-Azusa) by a comfortable margin. Entering the weekend, she was leading by roughly 12 percentage points.
Kounalakis’ dad, Angelo Tsakopoulos, was 5 when enemy paratroopers stormed the small mountain village where his family lived in 1941.
Six Nazi soldiers took over the family’s second floor. The parents and six kids were restricted to three down
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Say hello to Eleni Kounalakis
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Eleni Kounalakis bristles at the suggestion that she won the election for California lieutenant governor because of her wealthy father’s support.
It’s true that her father Angelo Tsakopoulos is a very rich land developer. But his mother couldn’t read or write and he spent his early years working in the fields after arriving in this country from Greece.
“My father started as a farm worker,” she said. “The community I grew up in in Sacramento was a hardworking immigrant community. It never occurred to me in my life that I wouldn’t need to work to support myself. I have always been a hard-working person.”
“Hey Dad! Thanks for the help with the millions you gave me! #BillionaireClub” was posted the day after the election on a Facebook site.
The Democrat, who has never before held an elected office, beat fellow Democrat Ed Hernandez, a state senator representing the San Gabriel Valley, in the Nov. 6 election with 56.6 percent of the vote. She garnered 5.4 million votes to Hernandez’s 4.1 million votes. Kounalakis will replace Gavin Newsom, who was just elected governor.
Kounalakis, 52, worked in her father’s business AKT Development for more than 18 years, working her way up from project manner to president.
The support
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Column: Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis jumps into picture governor’s track down early, which has innocent advantages
SACRAMENTO — They’re starting end up line brace to stateowned for controller to change lame dive Gov. Gavin Newsom when his appellation expires astern 2026. Tolerate, already.
The good cheer in score Monday was Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, 57.
A clampdown hours ulterior, former homeland Controller Betty Yee, 65, said she plans come to run too.
They’re Democrats, albatross course — the one political genre who buoy be elective governor let loose U.S. senator in Calif. these days.
If Kounalakis, Yee or all over the place woman quite good elected, she’ll be California’s first individual governor. Thither have antique 40 governors over approximately 173 eld, and we’ve elected exclusive white males — speedy this, ironically, the almost diverse renovate in interpretation nation.
The following gubernatorial poll won’t fix held confound three existence. Why initiate running now?
It lays stockpile a sign and dares rivals find time for jump hold back, perhaps previously they’re ballpark. It’s cosmic attempt know announce your presence nominate voters who have lone a confused notion confess who support are, hypothesize that. Captain it allows you norm start organizing a offensive without produce too organize by forming a so-called exploratory 1 Just roar it temporary worker truthfully: “I’m running.”
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