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Yassamin Ansari

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Yassamin Ansari (Persian: یاسمین انصاری; born April 7, 1992)[1] is an American climate policy activist and politician who served on the Phoenix City Council from 2021 to 2024.[2][3][4] At the time of her election, she was the youngest person to be elected to the council and the first Iranian American elected to public office in Arizona.[1]

Yassamin Ansari
Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 3rd district
Assuming office
January 3, 2025
SucceedingRuben Gallego
Member of the Phoenix City Council
from the 7th district
In office
April 19, 2021 – March 28, 2024
Preceded byMichael Nowakowski
Succeeded byCarlos Galindo-Elvira
Personal details
Born (1992-04-07) April 7, 1992 (age 32)
Political partyDemocratic
EducationStanford University (BA)
St. John's College, Cambridge (MPhil)

Early life and education

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Ansari was born April 7, 1992, to parents who immigrated to the United States from Iran.[1][5] In high school, she organized with the Arizona Democratic Party in support of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and worked with her mother to tutor Somali refugees.[5] Ansari attended Stanford University, and received a bachelor's degree in international relations.[5][6] During college, Ansari interned for Nancy Pelosi.[7][8] After graduation, she was selected for The John Gardner Fellowship Program and started working in the office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.[8] She worked as a senior policy advisor with Ban, spending a year working on the Paris Agreement, and later worked in the same role with Ban's successor, António Guterres.[2][6] She started working towards a master's degree in international relations and politics from St. John's College, Cambridge in 2016, which she ultimately received.[6][8][9] She continued to be involved in promoting climate action, helping plan the Climate Action 2016 Summit, the Global Climate Action Summit, and the first U.N. Youth Climate Summit.[10][11]

Political career

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Phoenix City Council

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Ansari ran in a November 2020 election to fill the seat vacated by Michael Nowakowski, representing Phoenix's 7th District.[12] The top two of the five contenders in the general election, Ansari and Cinthia Estela, continued to a runoff election that took place on March 9, 2021.[7][12] Ansari took office as a council member on April 19, 2021.[13]

While in office, she created an Office of Heat Response and Mitigation.[14] It has sought to plant trees, reduce pavement heat absorption, educate residents, and distribute resources including water.[15] She helped develop a plan to promote use of electric vehicles, and advocated for the city to purchase hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric public buses.[16][17] She attended the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference with Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego, as well as the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference.[10][18][19]

Along with other Phoenix City Council members, Ansari was criticized in 2022 for using a suite at Footprint Center, a sports venue owned by the city, to watch games and concerts; following the criticism, the council voted to review its economic development efforts and consider leasing out the suite.[20][21]

Ansari resigned her City Council seat on March 28, 2024, to focus on her congressional campaign.[22] Former Hayden Mayor Carlos Galindo-Elvira was appointed to fill the remainder of her term.[23]

Candidacy for U.S. House of Representatives

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See also: 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona § District 3

At the beginning of February 2023, journalists reported that Ansari was a potential contender for Arizona's 3rd congressional district.[24][25] On April 4 of that year, she announced her candidacy.[1][26] She is running as a Democrat and led early fundraising in the race.[4][27][28][29] In September 2023, Axios reported that Ansari and Raquel Terán would likely dominate the race.[30] Ansari raised over $325,000 in the first quarter of 2024, bringing her total raised to more than $1.35M.[31]

Political positions

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Ansari has advocated for climate action and sustainability efforts.[10] Ansari has expressed support for unions and LGBT rights.[32][33] She has also supported expanding temporary and affordable housing options to help address homelessness in Phoenix.[34]

Ansari had been endorsed by the political arm of the pro-Israel advocacy group Democratic Majority for Israel. [35]

Personal life

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Ansari is a former United Nations policy staffer.[36]

According to financial disclosures, Ansari's father loaned her between $250,000 and $500,000 for a condo payment.[37] Ansari's financial disclosures from October 2023 showed that she owns two properties in downtown Phoenix and made between $15,000 and $50,000 in 2023 by renting one. Ansari also estimated in the disclosure that her assets were worth between $2.5 million and $8.3 million.[38]

Awards and honors

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In 2019, Ansari was selected for the Grist 50, an annual list of people taking environmental action.[11] In 2020, Ansari was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30: Policy and Law list.[6]

Electoral history

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2020 Phoenix City Council District 7 Election

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November 3, 2020 General Election[39]
Candidate Votes %
Cinthia Estela 15,929 32.33
Yassamin Ansari 15,813 32.09
Francisca Montoya 8,897 18.06
G. Grayson Flunoy 4,301 8.73
Susan Mercado-Gudino 4,051 8.22
Write-in 282 0.57
Total votes 49,272 100.00

2021 Phoenix City Council District 7 Runoff Election

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March 9, 2021 Runoff Election[40]
Candidate Votes %
Yassamin Ansari 7,850 58.33
Cinthia Estela 5,609 41.67
Total votes 13,459 100.0

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Kavaler, Tara (April 4, 2023). "Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari running for Congress". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  2. ^ a b "Phoenix City Council chooses vice mayor for 2023". The Daily Independent at YourValley.net. January 5, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  3. ^ "City Council District 7 Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari". www.phoenix.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  4. ^ a b Fernandez, Madison (2023-08-21). "What to expect when you're expecting (to miss the first debate)". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  5. ^ a b c Siddiqui, Daniya (2023-08-16). "From councilwoman to congressional campaign: Vice mayor Yassamin Ansari's political journey". High School Insider. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  6. ^ a b c d "Yassamin Ansari". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  7. ^ a b Fifield, Jen; Taros, Megan (February 11, 2021). "Southwest Phoenix will decide a critical District 7 City Council race. Voting begins this week". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  8. ^ a b c Fifield, Jen. "Phoenix City Council's District 7 contenders Yassamin Ansari, Cinthia Estela talk experiences, respond to critics". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  9. ^ Thompson, Claire (2021-06-15). "Why this U.N. climate expert ran for city council". Fix. Grist. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  10. ^ a b c Wu, Jack (2023-03-23). "Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari leads charge against climate change". Cronkite News - Arizona PBS. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  11. ^ a b "Grist 50: 2019 Archives". Grist. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  12. ^ a b "2 Phoenix City Council seats up for grabs Tuesday in runoff election". KTAR.com. 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  13. ^ Estes, Christina (2021-04-19). "Phoenix Mayor, 4 City Council Members Sworn In Monday". KJZZ. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  14. ^ Loewe, Emma (2023-01-24). "Can cities eliminate heat-related deaths in a warming world? Phoenix is trying". Grist. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  15. ^ Caldwell, Alicia; Carlton, Jim. "Phoenix Tries to Keep Residents Cool as Heat-Related Deaths Soar in Arizona". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  16. ^ Astor, Maggie (2022-07-01). "As Federal Climate-Fighting Tools Are Taken Away, Cities and States Step Up". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  17. ^ Rivera, SuElen (2022-08-19). "Phoenix granted $16.3M for public transit buses, infrastructure". KTAR.com. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  18. ^ Syed, Zayna. "As cities take the lead in climate action, Phoenix leaders will attend Glasgow conference". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  19. ^ Alam, Adnan (2022-01-07). "Here's what you need to know about Phoenix's Climate Action Plan". Cronkite News - Arizona PBS. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  20. ^ Boehm, Jessica (2022-12-19). "Phoenix council members used city suite to watch NBA Finals, concerts". Axios. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  21. ^ Boehm, Jessica (2023-02-16). "Phoenix may ban council members from using Footprint Center suite". Axios. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  22. ^ Hahne, Greg (March 18, 2024). "Yassamin Ansari to resign from Phoenix City Council, focus on run for Congress". KJZZ. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  23. ^ Seely, Taylor (April 9, 2024). "Phoenix swears in new councilmember, former DeConcini aide and Chicanos por la Causa man". Arizona Republic. Retrieved April 10, 2024.>
  24. ^ Duda, Jeremy (2023-01-24). "Democratic primary for open House seat left by Gallego's Senate run could get crowded". Axios. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  25. ^ "Journalist's Roundtable: Ruben Gallego runs for Senate". Arizona PBS. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  26. ^ "Phoenix Vice Mayor Ansari announces run for Congress". The Daily Independent at YourValley.net. April 4, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  27. ^ Irwin, Lauren (2023-07-24). "Open, targeted House seats drive fundraising as numerous hopefuls line up". Cronkite News. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  28. ^ Feinberg, Allie (August 11, 2023). "Ylenia Aguilar has suspended her congressional campaign for Rep. Ruben Gallego's seat". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  29. ^ Gibson, Brittany (2023-07-25). "Progressive Working Families Party backs candidate to replace Rep. Ruben Gallego". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  30. ^ Duda, Jeremy (August 29, 2023). "Ansari and Terán likely to dominate CD3 race following Pastor's departure". Axios. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  31. ^ "ANSARI, YASSAMIN - Candidate overview". FEC.gov. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  32. ^ "Leaders Applaud the President's State of the Union Address". The White House. 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  33. ^ Estes, Christina (2021-10-21). "Phoenix Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari hosts first LGBTQ+ block party". KJZZ. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  34. ^ Lum, Justin (2022-05-25). "'City of a Thousand': Phoenix councilwoman returns to 'the zone,' optimistic about tackling homeless crisis". FOX 10 Phoenix. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  35. ^ Kassel, Matthew (2024-06-20). "DMFI PAC wades into heated House races in New York, Phoenix, Wisconsin". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  36. ^ "Arizona Democrat primaries set stage for November election". Arizona Republic. 23 June 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  37. ^ Gersony, Laura. "Raquel Terán attacks Yassamin Ansari as a 'millionaire landlord' in congressional debate". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  38. ^ L'Heureux, T. J. "Wonk vs. Fighter: The progressive clash for Ruben Gallego's House seat". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  39. ^ "FINAL OFFICIAL RESULTS General Election Maricopa County November 3, 2020" (PDF). Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  40. ^ "City of Phoenix March 9, 2021 Runoff Election Official Results" (PDF). Retrieved February 12, 2023.
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