Yassamin Ansari is a U.S. Representative for Arizona’s 3rd congressional district, elected in 2024 after previously serving on the Phoenix City Council. Known for her leadership on climate policy and progressive reforms, she became the youngest woman in the 119th Congress and the first Iranian American Democrat elected to Congress. Ansari championed Phoenix’s Climate Action Plan, expanded community college access, and advocated for reproductive rights. As a former senior UN advisor, she helped shape the Paris Agreement. She currently serves as Democratic freshman class president and represents one of the nation’s most diverse districts.

Quick Facts:

Current Role: U.S. Representative, Arizona

Previous roles: Phoenix City Councilmember (2021–2024), Vice Mayor of Phoenix

Education: Stanford University (B.A., International Relations); University of Cambridge (M.Phil.)

Background: Born in 1992 to Iranian immigrant parents; raised in Arizona

Career: Senior policy advisor to UN Secretaries-General Ban Ki-moon and António Guterres; deputy policy director for California Governor Jerry Brown’s Global Climate Action Summit

Political positions: Democrat; progressive, pro-climate, pro-choice, pro-immigrant

Legislative achievements: Led Phoenix’s landmark Climate Action Plan and Transportation Electrification Action Plan; secured millions for free community college tuition and over $140 million for homelessness initiatives; introduced federal bills on urban heat mitigation and HIV/AIDS foreign assistance reform

Controversies: No personal controversies reported; publicly accused a Republican committee chair of corruption over stock trades