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Yassamin Ansari
American politician (born 1992) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Yassamin Ansari (/ˈjɑːsəmin ɑːnˈsɑːri/ YAH-sə-min ahn-SAH-ree; Persian: یاسمین انصاری; born April 7, 1992)[1][2] is an American politician and climate policy activist who has served as the U.S. representative for Arizona's 3rd congressional district since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served on the Phoenix City Council from 2021 to 2024.[3][4][5]
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At the time of her election to the Phoenix City Council, Ansari was the youngest person to be elected to the council and the first Iranian American elected to public office in Arizona.[2] Ansari is also the youngest female member of Congress.[6]
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Early life and education
Ansari was born in Seattle, Washington, to parents who immigrated to the United States from Iran.[1][2][7] Ansari grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona and attended Chaparral High School. 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.[7] Ansari attended Stanford University, and received a bachelor's degree in international relations.[7][8] During college, Ansari interned for Nancy Pelosi.[9][10]
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Early career
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After graduation, she was selected for The John Gardner Fellowship Program and started working in the office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.[10] 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.[3][8] 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.[8][10][11] 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.[12][13]
Phoenix City Council
Ansari ran in a November 2020 election to fill the seat vacated by Michael Nowakowski, representing Phoenix's 7th District.[14] 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.[9][14] Ansari took office as a council member on April 19, 2021.[15]
While in office, she created an Office of Heat Response and Mitigation.[16] It has sought to plant trees, reduce pavement heat absorption, educate residents, and distribute resources including water.[17] 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.[18][19] She attended the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference with Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego, as well as the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference.[12][20][21]
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.[22][23]
Ansari resigned her City Council seat on March 28, 2024, to focus on her congressional campaign.[24] Former Hayden Mayor Carlos Galindo-Elvira was appointed to fill the remainder of her term.[25]
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U.S. House of Representatives
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Elections
2024
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Ansari had been considered a potential 2024 contender for Arizona's 3rd congressional district.[26][27] She announced her candidacy for the seat on April 4, 2023,[2][28] and led early fundraising in the race.[5][29][30][31] In September 2023, Axios reported that Ansari and Raquel Terán would likely dominate the race.[32] Ansari raised over $325,000 in the first quarter of 2024, bringing her total raised to more than $1.35 million.[33] In August 2024, Ansari won the primary by just 39 votes,[34] and easily won the general election in the deep-blue district, winning nearly 71% of the vote.[35]
Tenure
In November 2024, Ansari was elected the Democratic freshman class president.[36] Ansari chose to boycott Donald Trump's inauguration, choosing instead to attend a Martin Luther King Jr. Day March in Phoenix, in her district.[37] In April 2025, she joined a group of Democratic colleagues in the House in traveling to El Salvador to investigate the condition of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.[38]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
Political positions
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Ansari has advocated for climate action and sustainability efforts.[12] Ansari has expressed support for unions and LGBT rights.[41][42] She has also supported expanding temporary and affordable housing options to help address homelessness in Phoenix.[43]
Israel and Palestine
Ansari had been endorsed by the political arm of the pro-Israel advocacy group Democratic Majority for Israel.[44] Ansari has endorsed continued U.S. military aid to Israel “without additional conditions", and has advocated for the expansion of the Abraham Accords.[45] Ansari criticized a proposal by Senator Bernie Sanders that would block $20 billion in arm sales to Israel amid the Gaza war, arguing that "this resolution will attempt to deprive Israel of the materials needed for deterrence and defense while also accomplishing nothing to improve the situation in Gaza."[46]
In 2025, Ansari was among a minority of House Democrats to back legislation rebuking the International Criminal Court (ICC) over arrest warrants issued against Israeli leaders. Ansari argued that the ICC's actions were inappropriate, stating that "As a liberal democracy with an independent judiciary, Israel has the responsibility of investigating allegations of wrongdoing".[47]
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Personal life
Her family was of Muslim origin but stopped practicing after fleeing Iran after the Iranian Revolution in 1979.[48] Ansari considers herself an agnostic.[48]
According to financial disclosures, Ansari's father lent her between $250,000 and $500,000 for a condo payment.[49] 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.[50]
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Awards and honors
In 2019, Ansari was selected for the Grist 50, an annual list of people taking environmental action.[13] In 2020, Ansari was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30: Policy and Law list.[8]
Electoral history
Phoenix City Council elections
2020 general election
2021 runoff election
2024 U.S. House of Representatives Election
Democratic primary
General election
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References
External links
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