Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL.), who was re-elected in the Nov. 6 election with a landslide 63% and is co-Chairman of the Hellenic Caucus, talked to the Greek Reporter about the outcome of the US election, the potential impact of the election on Hellenic issues and how he foresees changes in the American political scene.
Bilirakis pledged that, despite a Republican-controlled House and with Democratic President Barack Obama in the White House, he and other members of the Republican party will work with Obama. He said that among likely Republican candidates for the GOP 2016 nomination are likely to be Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Chris Christie, but admitted that it’s probably too early to tell.
Watch the interview below:
[youtube]JY4rDd4vCm8[/youtube]
When asked how he felt about the Republican nominee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s negative comments on Greece during the campaign, he expressed his disappointment and pledged to continue working in educating his colleagues in Washington on issues that concern the Greek-American community, such as the religious freedom of the Patriarchate, the re-opening of the Halki Seminary, the name dispute with FYROM and the dire economic situation in Greece.
Bilirakis grew up in Tarpon Springs and is the grandson of Greek immigrants. His grandfather owned a bakery where Bilirakis worked from a young age. He attended Tampa Bay area public schools and continued to work in his grandfather’s bakery while growing up. He joined the Republican Party at an early age and followed on his father’s footsteps in joining political life and serving in US Congress, serving the 9th District of Florida.
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