Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari launches congressional campaign

Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari announced Tuesday she is running for the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 3rd Congressional District.

She joins a field of Democratic hopefuls who are contemplating candidacies to replace U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who is running for the U.S. Senate in 2024. The demographics of the Democrat-friendly district are such that the winner of the party's primary is likely to clinch the overall election.

Ansari, who turns 31 on Friday, became the youngest person ever elected to the Phoenix City Council when she won her seat in 2021 and has served as vice mayor since the start of 2023. She is the first Iranian-American elected to political office in Arizona. Ansari previously worked at the United Nations and Mission 2020, a campaign aimed at hastening action to combat climate change.

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The 3rd Congressional District constituents "understand the damning effect of inaction and they don't have the luxury of waiting for incremental change," Ansari said in a written statement. "From my time serving as a policy advisor at the United Nations to my current role on the Phoenix City Council, I've committed my life to taking on corporate polluters, corrupt special interests, and tired, ineffective policies.

"And with Republican extremists' attack on democracy, immigrants, reproductive freedom and working families, the people of Phoenix and Glendale need a fighter who will bring about real change. At this critical juncture, our community deserves someone who understands the urgency of the moment and will get things done," she continued. "That's why I'm running for Congress."

Housing affordability is another policy priority for Ansari, who advocated for Phoenix's ordinance to prevent housing discrimination based on income.

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In addition to Ansari, other Phoenix Democrats are considering entering the race. State Sen. Raquel Terán left her leadership position in the Arizona Legislature to explore running for the seat; she is expected to announce her intentions soon. State Sen. Catherine Miranda; former state Rep. Cesar Chavez; and Phoenix City Councilperson Laura Pastor also are contemplating runs. Pastor's father, the late U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., represented the area in Congress for years.

The 3rd district includes parts of Arizona's capitol city, such as south Phoenix, Laveen and Maryvale, and portions of Glendale. The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, which redrew Arizona's congressional districts last year, says the district leans Democratic but is considered "outside of competitive range." So the Democratic primary winner likely would win the general election.

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Gallego is vacating the U.S. House seat to run for the Senate seat held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.

Tara Kavaler is a politics reporter at The Arizona Republic. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @kavalertara.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari mounts congressional bid