Sami Scheetz (born 1996) is an American politician and small business owner who has represented the 78th district of the Iowa House of Representatives since January 2023, which consists of parts of southeastern Cedar Rapids in Linn County. He is the first Arab American to serve in the Iowa General Assembly. He is a member of the Democratic Party.[1][2]
Sami Scheetz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 78th district | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Jarad Klein (redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1996 (age 27–28) Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Georgetown University |
| Occupation | Small business owner |
Early life and education
editScheetz was born in 1996 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was raised. He graduated from Washington High School and received a bachelor's degree in government and history from Georgetown University.[1] While attending college he worked for the United States Department of State in Dubai.[3]
Political career
editScheetz announced his candidacy for the 39th district of the Iowa Senate in June 2021. He withdrew weeks later upon Liz Bennett's entrance into the race and instead ran for the 78th district of the Iowa House of Representatives.[4] He won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 7, 2022, and defeated Republican Anne Fairchild in the general election on November 8 by over 3,700 votes, becoming the first Arab American to serve in the Iowa Legislature.[5]
In 2024, Scheetz filed to run for reelection.[6] He won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 4, 2024, and will run unopposed in the general election on November 5, 2024.[5]
Scheetz currently serves on the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Public Safety committees.[7]
Scheetz has said that his priorities include education, healthcare, and workers' rights. He supports making community college free and legalizing marijuana. He does not support the use of eminent domain for the construction of CO2 pipelines. He is pro-choice.[2][8]
Scheetz previously worked with the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, Fred Hubbell's 2018 campaign for governor, and Michael Franken's 2022 campaign for US senator.[3][8]
Personal life
editScheetz resides in Cedar Rapids. He is a small business owner and community organizer.[1] His mother, a teacher, immigrated to the United States from Damascus, Syria.[9] His father is a lawyer.[10]
Electoral history
edit| Election | Political result | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa House of Representatives Democratic primary elections, 2022 [5] District 78 Turnout: 2,424 | Democratic (newly redistricted) | Sami Scheetz | Democratic | 2,405 | 99.2 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 19 | 0.8 | |||||
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 [5] District 78 Turnout: 10,731 | Democratic (newly redistricted) | Sami Scheetz | Democratic | 7,239 | 67.5 | ||
| Anne Fairchild | Republican | 3,466 | 32.3 | ||||
| Other/Write-in votes | 26 | 0.2 | |||||
References
edit- ^ a b c "State Representative - All Years". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "Rep. Sami Scheetz sworn in to Iowa House, first Arab American to serve in Iowa Legislature". KGAN. January 10, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Howell, Michael (June 17, 2021). "Sami Scheetz becomes second candidate to announce a bid for Senate District 33". KGAN. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ Lynch, James Q. "Liz Bennett enters primary race in C.R. Senate 33, Sami Scheetz pivots to seeking House seat". The Gazette. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Sami Scheetz". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ "primarycandidatelist.pdf" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ "State Representative". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "Q&A with House 78 candidate Sami Scheetz". The Gazette. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ "Iowa set to get its first-ever Arab American state representative". Arab News. March 28, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ Barton, Tom. "Sami Scheetz is poised to make history". The Gazette. Retrieved May 26, 2024.