Yassamin Ansari

Yassamin Ansari was born in Seattle, Washington. She earned a bachelor's degree from Stanford University in 2014 and a master's degree from the University of Cambridge in 2015. Ansari's career experience included working as an advisor, deputy policy director, and senior policy advisor.[1][2]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I served as the Vice Mayor of Phoenix and made history as the youngest woman ever elected to the Phoenix City Council, representing one of the most diverse districts in the nation’s fifth-largest and fastest growing city.

The proud daughter of immigrants and graduate of Stanford and Cambridge universities, I led the charge to pass the city’s landmark Climate Action Plan, fought for the protection of reproductive rights, and secured millions in free tuition for students pursuing community college and good trade jobs.

As I take the fight to Congress, working families will continue to be my focus. From championing housing affordability to advancing bold climate action, and from protecting reproductive freedom to strengthening workers’ rights, I will strive every day to better the lives of Arizonans.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I’m the proud daughter of immigrants and I’m running for office because of their experiences. I’ve dedicated my life’s work to public service because this country welcomed them with open arms and opportunity when they desperately needed it. They may have found their American dream, but as their daughter, I know that for far too many people, that dream is now out of reach.As Councilwoman, I’ve championed housing affordability, climate action, reproductive freedom, workers' rights, and education, with proven results. I led the charge to pass the city's first Climate Action Plan and Transportation Electrification Action Plan, and helped secure hundreds of millions for new parks, roadways, fire stations and infrastructure in my district. I was at the forefront of passing some of the most progressive, pro-union policies in Arizona’s history, including a Worker Heat Safety ordinance that protects outdoor workers from extreme heat. And when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, I passed a resolution to direct the Police Department to make harsh state abortion laws its lowest priority for enforcement.My policy decisions will always be guided by the needs of working families in my district. While traditional modeling shows a strong economy, it’s an economy that isn’t working for everyone. I will work to support quality jobs and wages that keep up with rising living costs, increased investment in public education, reduced student debt, a higher federal minimum wage, and public transit infrastructure that will get our communities to the new high-wage jobs created by the Biden administration.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

An economy for all - Many Arizonans feel left behind in today’s economy with their wages not keeping up with the cost of living. We must prioritize housing affordability, reducing homelessness, strengthening worker power, and keeping taxes low for working families.

Ambitious climate action - The climate crisis is the defining issue of our time. As a climate policy expert, I believe we must accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy and create new jobs for a greener economy.

Restoring reproductive rights - Women’s rights have been under attack. I plan to fight for all women in AZ to have the right to make their own decisions about their own bodies and to access the healthcare services that are right for them.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

When I was 16, I was lucky to have now-Arizona State Senator Christine Marsh as my AP English teacher. It was her commitment to discussions focused on civic engagement in the classroom that led me to join the Arizona Democratic Party and the Obama campaign as a junior in high school. As the youngest woman and first Iranian-American to serve on the Phoenix City Council, I’m now running to be the youngest woman and first Iranian-American Democrat in Congress and I owe much of that to the road that President Barack Obama paved for my generation.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The climate crisis is the defining issue of our time, which is why I have dedicated my career toward advancing solutions to address it. I served as an advisor on the climate teams of two UN Secretaries-General, and as a Councilwoman, I helped pass the city’s first-ever Climate Action Plan.

If we want to reduce the worst impacts of climate change and save lives, we need to reach 100% net zero by 2050 and establish programs that mitigate extreme heat. We need to go beyond the landmark legislation passed in DC recently.

That means going all-in for a 100% clean energy grid, weatherizing homes and buildings to make them more efficient, and building a high-speed train and transit system both across the country and locally in our cities. We need to make it easier to get around without a car or a plane and we need federal investment to do that.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes, sometimes compromise is necessary and my experience at the Phoenix City Council has trained me for a divided Congress. I’ve learned and gained the ability to work with colleagues that I may not agree with 95% of the time. For example, I led a lot of the work on clean transportation and decarbonization of our fleet and I was able to communicate and make the case to my Republican colleagues that beyond the benefits we’re going to see our air quality and emissions, there are cost savings when it comes to electric vehicles and moving away from fossil fuels.

I believe there are many areas where we can find compromise in Congress and work across the aisle. And that is exactly the type of leader that I’m going to be: a strong progressive who is effective and can get things done at the Congressional level, which is a rarity these days.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Senator Mark Kelly

Planned Parenthood Action Fund

Reproductive Freedom for All

EMILYs List

GIFFORDS

National Women’s Political Caucus

Defend the Vote

Arizona AFL-CIO

National Organization for Women Political Action Committee

International Association of Firefighters

Southwest Carpenters Union Local 1912

Arizona Federation of Teachers (AFT #8002)

Laborers International Union of North America

Arizona Pipe Trades

Association of Professional Flight Attendants

Ironworkers Local 75

Foreign Policy for America

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

Arizona Building and Construction Trades Council

Teamsters Local 104

Boilermakers Local 627

Communications Workers of America

Climate Hawks Vote

IBEW Local Union 640

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Without significant campaign finance reform, we'll continue seeing special interests and corporations wield more power than individuals in our elections and in Washington. Dark money influenced my first election in Phoenix in the form of unknown, deceptive, negative mailers to voters. By running a people-powered campaign, we made sure our voices were amplified over special interests.

Campaign website

Ansari's campaign website stated the following:

Restoring Reproductive Rights

Women’s rights and their bodily autonomy have been under attack across the United States and in Arizona.

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Yassamin passed an ordinance to direct the Phoenix Police Department to make harsh state abortion laws its lowest priority for enforcement to protect doctors, nurses, pharmacists and patients from arrest for practicing and receiving basic healthcare. Yassamin believes that women’s access to reproductive healthcare is a vital tool for empowering women’s health, autonomy, and financial choice.

In Congress, she will support policies that:

Protect a woman’s right to choose by codifying Roe v. Wade

Support for the Equal Rights Amendment

Fund the Violence Against Women Act

Protecting Our Democracy

Our democracy is under attack. We must not take it for granted and do everything to fight against the forces trying to disenfranchise the voices of everyday Americans. As the daughter of immigrants who were displaced by persecution and a brutal theocratic and authoritarian regime, protecting democracy is personal to Yassamin.

To restore and strengthen our democracy, Yassamin will support:

The Freedom to Vote Act, which ends partisan gerrymandering, cracks down on dark money in politics, establishes automatic voter registration, and combats voter suppression.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore the strength of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Ending the Jim Crow-era filibuster and expanding the U.S. Supreme Court, so that our democracy can work for everyday people, not just the powerful and rich.

Prohibit members of Congress from stock trading, so that those who govern aren’t able to use private information to get wealthy

Curb the revolving door in Washington by creating new regulations to prevent former Members of Congress from becoming lobbyists.

Ambitious Climate Action

The climate crisis is the defining issue of our time. As a climate policy expert, Yassamin has pushed for international solutions to climate change at the United Nations and led bold efforts to clean up our air and water in Phoenix.

She passed the city’s landmark Climate Action Plan, created the first Office of Heat Response and Mitigation in the nation, and built a coalition on the city council to unanimously pass the city’s ambitious Transportation Electrification Action Plan, ushering in a clean energy future for Phoenix. She also spearheaded a plan to electrify Phoenix’s bus fleet by 2040, reducing our carbon emissions and improving air quality in the city.

In Congress, Yassamin will lead and support policies that:

Accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy

Increase investment into building resilience to climate impacts

Work directly with FEMA to declare heat as a natural disaster to unlock resource management capabilities to support our district

Stand up to Big Oil who have tried to stagnate and roll back President Biden’s climate policies, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act

Create new jobs that will help grow a greener economy and lead efforts for a “just transition” for the millions of workers currently employed in the fossil fuel, manufacturing and automotive industries

Housing Affordability & Reducing Homelessness

In Arizona and around the country, we’re facing a historic housing shortage – Yassamin is a pro-housing champion with a record of getting things done to lower rent and housing costs. Experts estimate that Arizona is 270,000 homes short of what we need to keep up with our growing population. This directly contributes to high housing costs, our recent spike in homelessness, and will have detrimental effects to our economy if we don’t take bold action. Building more housing so we have the supply we need will be a top priority for Yassamin in Congress.

On the Phoenix City Council, Yassamin worked to prioritize housing solutions and has delivered for us by directing over $120 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to projects supporting affordable housing and homelessness including rental assistance which has helped over 19,000 families, helping approve a record number of new housing units, and by leading the effort to legalize casitas.

In Congress, Yassamin will continue this work by supporting policies that:

Pass historic levels of funding to build affordable housing and increase the supply of Housing Choice Vouchers

Work with local communities to make it easier to build all types of housing through comprehensive zoning reform

Prevent evictions by helping families remain in their housing and end source of income discrimination

Incentivize social housing projects that house a mixture of income levels

Assist municipalities as they work to tackle homelessness with funding for wraparound services, shelters, and transitional housing

LGBTQ+ Equality

Our LGBTQIA+ community has spent decades tirelessly fighting for their rights but we have seen a surge in anti-LGBTQIA+ laws in recent years. Yassamin will continue to fight for a world strengthened by our diversity, where our laws and society treat all people equally. As a Phoenix City Councilwoman, Yassamin was a relentless advocate for our LGBTQ+ community. She hosted an annual Pride On The Block festival in downtown Phoenix, most recently in November 2023 during Trans Visibility Week, to raise funds for organizations like One N’ Ten and the Southwest Center for HIV & Aids, and directed millions in investments to nonprofit organizations serving this community. In Congress, she will support:

The Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing, employments and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity

Respect for Marriage Act, which ensures and protects marriage equality

Banning Conversion therapy on LGBTQ+ folks, especially minors

Telling the U.S. Census Bureau to count LGBTQ+ people

Strengthening Unions & Workers Rights

Labor unions uplift the middle class and help the working class build economic power. Strengthening unions and workers’ rights is fundamental to building an equitable economy. That’s why as a Councilwoman and Vice Mayor, Yassamin helped lead the charge to raise wages for thousands of city employees – from firefighters and police officers to bus drivers and librarians – and voted to pass a historic prevailing wage ordinance in the City of Phoenix. In March 2024, she led the charge to pass Phoenix’s Worker Heat Safety Ordinance, a first of its kind policy that will help protect 10,000 outdoor workers from extreme summer heat.

Yassamin believes that collective bargaining is a vital mechanism for economic progress and will support the following policies in Congress:

Fund enforcement mechanisms of labor laws

Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act

Promote prevailing wage laws established by the Davis-Bacon Act

Ensure Community Workforce Agreements

Economy for All

Many Arizonans are feeling left behind in today’s economy with their wages not keeping up with rising living and healthcare costs. We need to prioritize building an economy that benefits everyone. We need to replace our trickle-down economy with one that focuses on strengthening the middle class and expanding economic mobility.

To build an economy for all, Yassamin believes economic growth should be built on the foundation of the following principles and policies:

Increase the federal minimum wage

Strengthen worker power by supporting workers’ rights, collective bargaining and organizing

Stand up to greedy corporate interests and crack down on price gouging to lower costs for working families

Support a green, sustainable and modernized economy that in turn creates well-paying jobs of the future

Lower the cost of healthcare, housing, and childcare through permanently expanding the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit

Keep taxes low for working families and senior citizens, while ensuring the wealthy also pay their fair share to invest in vital public services

Prevent corporate monopolies and mergers that give too much control to too few and harm consumers

End homelessness through investments in accessible, affordable housing

Support small businesses by expanding resources for small business owners and investing in our communities

Tax the wealthy. It’s time for a comprehensive tax system that benefits working people and ensures the top 1%, Wall Street, and large corporations pay their fair share.

Lead the way in the blockchain and crypto innovation. By leading and establishing guidelines to innovate, we can make sure we protect consumers and create more equitable access for all.

Immigration

Raised by immigrant parents, Yassamin fully understands the value our immigrant communities bring to our nation’s culture, economy, and spirit. Yassamin has always worked to support immigrant communities, and created Phoenix’s first Office of Refugee Support to help families access employment, healthcare, and housing services. Migrant families should no longer be treated as political pawns and they deserve comprehensive immigration reform. While DACA needs continued support, it is a product of years of inaction and congressional gridlock. We need holistic and comprehensive immigration reform now.

In Congress, Yassamin will support:

The American Dream and Promise Act, the American Families United Act, the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, and the New Deal for New Americans Act.

Making legal counsel for refugees and immigrants more accessible

Education

Access to education is a vital tool for Americans to empower themselves and their communities, but Arizonans face high barriers to entry with the quality and costs of education. On the Phoenix City Council, Yassamin worked to provide young people with the opportunity to pursue higher education by establishing the Phoenix Promise – a scholarship program that supports 800 low-income students in pursuing a community college education. She will continue to advocate for education in Congress by supporting policies that:

Support our public schools through increased funding for students and teachers to meet their full potential

Forgive student loan debt so that younger generations can use their education to work towards economic freedom

Expanding rural broadband access for students and teachers[3]

—Yassamin Ansari's campaign website (2024)[4]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm an Arizona native, the daughter of immigrants, a Stanford and Cambridge graduate, and an internationally recognized climate leader.

I previously served as the youngest advisor on the UN Secretary-General's climate team (both Ban Ki-moon and Antonio Guterres). After helping deliver the historic Paris Climate Agreement, I was charged with leading the work on youth engagement and public mobilization for the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. To me, it is imperative that young people, working people and marginalized communities take the stage in climate activism and decision-making, in addition to the VIPs and heads-of-state that usually dominate these high-level political meetings. So, I worked hand-in-hand with youth and civil society leaders from around the world, and I planned and delivered the first-ever Youth Climate Summit at the United Nations.

In addition to my work at the UN, I have always been a champion for local issues in Arizona. I have participated in the youth climate strikes in Arizona, marched against gun violence and for public education at the Arizona State Capitol, and I have worked with our state legislature to develop climate campaigns and policies for the state. Now, I'm running for Phoenix City Council to continue my fight for our communities.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am more than ready to take on all the responsibilities of a City Councilwoman, whether it's fixing speed bumps and repaving our roads or tackling long-term issues like air pollution and criminal justice reform. As your representative for Phoenix City Council in District 7, this will be my full-time job- ensuring that I will be fully connected, accessible, and transparent to each and every one of you, every single day.District 7 is getting left behind- we have far too much of the things we don't want, like crime hotspots, and not enough of the things we need, like funding public education and access to healthcare. I refuse to be silent about this. I'm running for City Council to fight for the resources our communities need and deserve.The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted our communities, especially here in District 7: Small businesses are struggling to stay afloat, workers are struggling to pay their rent and maintain employment, and people are getting sick at higher and higher rates. In the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we can't afford to "go back to normal" - we need to invest in strategies that build our long-term resilience. That's why our campaign has put together a post-COVID recovery plan: an ambitious proposal for responding to climate, health, and economic emergencies at the local level.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about environmental justice, economic development, workers' rights, the right to housing, racial and immigrant justice, reproductive justice, and LGBTQ+ rights.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Phoenix is the fifth-largest and fastest-growing city in the country, and with only eight members on the Phoenix City Council, every Councilmember has a significant amount of say in how our city moves forward. We are realizing that local leadership matters now more than ever, as issues that are in the national spotlight - such as police reform and accountability - are more often than not addressed on a city level. To ensure our country is a safe, healthy, and prosperous place to live, we must start with our cities. I'm ready to help Phoenix become one of the most sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous cities in America.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Michelle Obama has always been a role model of mine. In fact, Michelle Obama's "Becoming" is one of the most influential books I have ever read. She is a strong, brilliant woman of color who never compromised who she was when she was in the public eye - her dedication to public service, bettering our world, and never backing down inspires me to be the best elected official I can be.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities for someone elected to this office are as follows:

- Listen to and represent ALL District 7 residents, whether they come from Laveen, Estrella, Maryvale, downtown Phoenix, or elsewhere. All parts of District 7 deserve to be fought for equally.

- Create and pass policy solutions to the issues that most impact our residents, such as public safety, housing affordability, air pollution, and small business recovery post-COVID.

- Move our city forward and ensure that our city is a safe, healthy, and prosperous place to raise our families for years to come

- Always vote in the best interest of our district and communities, rather than at the will of special interest groups

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My parents immigrated to the US from war-torn Iran, and later moved to the Phoenix area in 1997 to start a new life. My dad built a successful business while my mom worked as a physical therapist. From a young age, the importance of civic engagement and activism was ingrained in me at the family dinner table. All our life, our family has often faced racism and the repercussions of racist and Islamophobic policies like the Muslim ban. Undoubtedly, I was influenced by my family's struggles and their American Dream story, propelling me into a life of service.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

A City Councilmember is not just responsible for more localized community issues, such as fixing our roads; a Councilmember is also responsible for long-term issues, such as combatting air pollution.

This means that a Phoenix City Councilmember must not only be committed to solving issues on the micro-level, but they must be committed to solving the overarching issues that face our city. I am more than ready to take on all the responsibilities of a City Councilwoman, whether it's repaving our roads or tackling long-term issues like criminal justice reform.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Key skills a Phoenix City Councilmember should possess are transparency, empathy, and a strong ability to compromise. Our residents deserve an elected official who is fully transparent and honest about their decisions in office; our residents also deserve an empathetic public official who will mobilize their empathy into action. Additionally, nothing can get passed through the Phoenix City Council without at least 5 votes, and this is why compromise is key. I commit to being fully transparent while in office, and I commit to listening to our communities and using my empathy for each and every residents' needs to create effective solutions. I also commit to developing working relationships with the rest of the council to ensure we can compromise on issues that matter most to our city.

A Phoenix City Councilmember should also have public policy experience, as they should be able to create policy solutions and proposals for their communities. I have extensive experience in public policy, and I'm ready to use my experience to fight for District 7.