Today I am announcing my campaign for the California State Assembly in the 40th District.
This is a campaign rooted in the people closest to my own story: working families trying to keep up with the cost of living, immigrants who came to this country with nothing but a willingness to work, small business owners signing the front of paychecks, and the Armenian-American community that has carried our heritage forward in California for generations.
The issues I care about most are decided in Sacramento. The cost of living, housing, public safety, opportunity for the next generation, and the survival of small business are shaped by the laws California writes, the taxes it imposes, and the budgets it passes. That is where the fight is. That is where I am taking it.
I am an engineer and entrepreneur. I served two years of active duty in the Armenian Armed Forces as a Senior Sergeant before I came to America. I have built companies in research, software, and consumer products. I have signed the front of paychecks, paid the bills when the numbers were tight, and learned what it takes to keep an organization alive when the people who depend on it are watching. I am not a career politician. I do not intend to become one. I am someone who has spent his life serving and building, and I am stepping into this race because the work that needs to be done sits in the California State Assembly.
The stakes are high. And the responsibility to act now, rather than wait for an easier path, has never been clearer.
To everyone who has already supported this effort through endorsements, donations, volunteer hours, or simply showing up at our events: thank you. Every door knocked, every conversation had, every signature gathered is the foundation of this campaign. I would not be here without you, and I am not stopping now.
To everyone who is hearing about this campaign for the first time: welcome. Whatever has brought you here, whether you share a piece of my story or simply care about a country that still rewards work, that still keeps faith with its immigrants, and that still expects accountability from the people it elects, there is a place for you in what we are building.
The campaign for the State Assembly begins today. The fight for the families of the 40th Assembly District continues. Join us.
Zhirayr Gumruyan
Candidate for California State Assembly, District 40
June 8, 2026