IranWire

Yassamin Ansari, a 32-year-old Iranian-American environmental activist, has won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the newest Iranian-American member of Congress.

Ansari, a Democrat, will represent Arizona’s 3rd congressional district.

From 2021 to 2024, she served on the Phoenix City Council, making her the youngest person to hold that position at the time.

Ansari, the daughter of Iranian immigrant parents, studied international relations and earned degrees from Stanford University and the University of Cambridge.

“I’m elated,” she posted on her X account after the election on Wednesday.

“Tonight’s Prop 139 WIN empowers Arizonans to make decisions about their own bodies and will save countless lives. Thanks to the thousands of people who collected signatures, knocked on doors, and made this victory a reality,” she added.

During her undergraduate studies, she interned in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and after graduating, she worked as a senior political advisor to former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Ansari is the second Iranian-American to be elected to the House of Representatives, following Republican Stephanie Bice, who won her seat in 2020.