- Source: Yassamin Ansari
Yassamin Ansari (Persian: یاسمین انصاری; born April 7, 1992) is an American climate policy activist and politician who served on the Phoenix City Council from 2021 to 2024. 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.
Early life and education
Ansari was born April 7, 1992, to parents who immigrated to the United States from Iran. 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. Ansari attended Stanford University, and received a bachelor's degree in international relations. During college, Ansari interned for Nancy Pelosi. After graduation, she was selected for The John Gardner Fellowship Program and started working in the office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. 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. 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. 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.
Political career
= Phoenix City Council
=Ansari ran in a November 2020 election to fill the seat vacated by Michael Nowakowski, representing Phoenix's 7th District. 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. Ansari took office as a council member on April 19, 2021.
While in office, she created an Office of Heat Response and Mitigation. It has sought to plant trees, reduce pavement heat absorption, educate residents, and distribute resources including water. 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. She attended the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference with Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego, as well as the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
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.
Ansari resigned her City Council seat on March 28, 2024, to focus on her congressional campaign. Former Hayden Mayor Carlos Galindo-Elvira was appointed to fill the remainder of her term.
= Candidacy for U.S. House of Representatives
=At the beginning of February 2023, journalists reported that Ansari was a potential contender for Arizona's 3rd congressional district. On April 4 of that year, she announced her candidacy. She is running as a Democrat and led early fundraising in the race. In September 2023, Axios reported that Ansari and Raquel Terán would likely dominate the race. Ansari raised over $325,000 in the first quarter of 2024, bringing her total raised to more than $1.35M. In August 2024, Ansari won the primary race by 39 votes. In November 2024, she won the general election.
In November 2024, Ansari was elected the Democratic freshman class president.
Political positions
Ansari has advocated for climate action and sustainability efforts. Ansari has expressed support for unions and LGBT rights. She has also supported expanding temporary and affordable housing options to help address homelessness in Phoenix.
Ansari had been endorsed by the political arm of the pro-Israel advocacy group Democratic Majority for Israel.
Personal life
Ansari is a former United Nations policy staffer.
According to financial disclosures, Ansari's father loaned her between $250,000 and $500,000 for a condo payment. 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.
Awards and honors
In 2019, Ansari was selected for the Grist 50, an annual list of people taking environmental action. In 2020, Ansari was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30: Policy and Law list.
Electoral history
= 2020 Phoenix City Council District 7 Election
== 2021 Phoenix City Council District 7 Runoff Election
=References
External links
Appearances on C-SPAN
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Yassamin Ansari
- 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona
- Ansari (surname)
- 119th United States Congress
- List of new members of the 119th United States Congress
- April McClain-Delaney
- 2024 United States House of Representatives elections
- 2024 United States Senate election in Arizona
- List of Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign sub-national officials endorsements
- 2024 United States presidential election in Arizona
