Yassamin Ansari, an Iranian American who has served on the Phoenix City Council since 2021, defeated Raquel Terán, who previously served in the Arizona Senate and touts anti-Israel positions, with a 39-vote margin of victory.
Jennifer Ryan-Touhill, a superior court judge in Maricopa County, announced the race’s results on Tuesday following a recount triggered by the close vote count.
Democratic Majority for Israel calls Ansari, 32, “a proud pro-Israel progressive” and says she is favored to win the general election in what the group describes as a “deep-blue” congressional district.
“Yassamin is a champion for working Arizonans and is committed to fighting for the Democratic agenda, including strengthening the mutually beneficial U.S.-Israel relationship,” said DMFI PAC chairman Mark Mellman in a release. “Her hard-won victory over her well-funded anti-Israel opponent proves again that being pro-Israel is not just wise policy, but also winning politics.”
Ansari, a climate policy activist considered a progressive, is the first Iranian American elected to public office in Arizona and was the youngest woman in the state ever elected to the Phoenix City Council.
Following her win, she stated that “it’s time for us to come together and ensure we secure victories for Democrats up and down the ballot this November.”
