Yassamin Ansari

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Yassamin Ansari
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)

Yassamin Ansari (born April 7, 1992)[1] is an American climate policy leader 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]

Early activities[edit]

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 graduating, 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 Ki-moon, spending a year working on the Paris Agreement, and later worked in the same role with Ki-moon'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][12]

Political career[edit]

Phoenix City Council[edit]

Ansari ran in a November 2020 election to fill the seat vacated by Michael Nowakowski, representing Phoenix's 7th District.[13] 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][13] Ansari took office as a council member on April 19, 2021.[14]

While in office, she created an Office of Heat Response and Mitigation.[15] It has sought to plant trees, reduce pavement heat absorption, educate residents, and distribute resources including water.[16] 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.[17][18] 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][19][20]

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.[21][22]

Ansari resigned her City Council seat on March 28, 2024, to focus on her congressional campaign.[23] Former Hayden Mayor Carlos Galindo-Elvira was appointed to fill the remainder of her term.[24]

Candidacy for US House of Representatives[edit]

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.[25][26] On April 4 of that year, she announced her candidacy.[1][27] She is running as a Democrat and led early fundraising in the race.[4][28][29][30] In September 2023, Axios reported that Ansari and Raquel Terán would likely dominate the race.[31]

Political positions[edit]

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]

Awards and honors[edit]

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[edit]

2020 Phoenix City Council District 7 Election[edit]

November 3, 2020 General Election[35]
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[edit]

March 9, 2021 Runoff Election[36]
Candidate Votes %
Yassamin Ansari 7,850 58.33
Cinthia Estela 5,609 41.67
Total votes 13,459 100.0

References[edit]

  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. ^ Barrón, Alicia (November 12, 2020). "This UN Climate Advisor Worked on Global Policy. Now She Wants to Help Phoenix. - The Copper Courier". The Copper Courier. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  13. ^ a b "2 Phoenix City Council seats up for grabs Tuesday in runoff election". KTAR.com. 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  14. ^ Estes, Christina (2021-04-19). "Phoenix Mayor, 4 City Council Members Sworn In Monday". KJZZ. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  15. ^ Loewe, Emma (2023-01-24). "Can cities eliminate heat-related deaths in a warming world? Phoenix is trying". Grist. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Rivera, SuElen (2022-08-19). "Phoenix granted $16.3M for public transit buses, infrastructure". KTAR.com. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  19. ^ Syed, Zayna. "As cities take the lead in climate action, Phoenix leaders will attend Glasgow conference". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Boehm, Jessica (2022-12-19). "Phoenix council members used city suite to watch NBA Finals, concerts". Axios. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  22. ^ Boehm, Jessica (2023-02-16). "Phoenix may ban council members from using Footprint Center suite". Axios. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  23. ^ Hahne, Greg (March 18, 2024). "Yassamin Ansari to resign from Phoenix City Council, focus on run for Congress". KJZZ. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  24. ^ 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.>
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "Journalist's Roundtable: Ruben Gallego runs for Senate". Arizona PBS. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  27. ^ "Phoenix Vice Mayor Ansari announces run for Congress". The Daily Independent at YourValley.net. April 4, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  28. ^ Irwin, Lauren (2023-07-24). "Open, targeted House seats drive fundraising as numerous hopefuls line up". Cronkite News. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ Gibson, Brittany (2023-07-25). "Progressive Working Families Party backs candidate to replace Rep. Ruben Gallego". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  31. ^ Duda, Jeremy (August 29, 2023). "Ansari and Terán likely to dominate CD3 race following Pastor's departure". Axios. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  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. ^ "FINAL OFFICIAL RESULTS General Election Maricopa County November 3, 2020" (PDF). Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  36. ^ "City of Phoenix March 9, 2021 Runoff Election Official Results" (PDF). Retrieved February 12, 2023.
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