Greek-American businesswoman eyes California office

Former US ambassador to Hungary Eleni Kounalakis finished first in a tight race to qualify for the November general election to replace Gavin Newsom as California's lieutenant governor.

Kounalakis, a Democrat, won 23.4 percent of the vote, while State Senator Ed Hernandez, also a Democrat, came second with 20.8 percent. She agreed to an email interview with Kathimerini.

You took lead position in the California primaries and will go up against Ed Hernandez, a fellow Democrat, in the general elections. How do you differ from Hernandez?

I'm a businesswoman who helped create thousands of jobs, and a former US ambassador to Hungary. I will bring my experience in both the private sector, and government, to help build a stronger, better California. The lieutenant governor sits on the board of the University of California (UC) and California State...