Yassamin Ansari says her top priorities in Congress are housing and affordability

PHOENIX — Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari, who beat Republican Jeff Zink on Tuesday, is excited about joining Congress.

“I am very, very honored to have won the trust of Arizona’s third district. I’m incredibly proud of the campaign we ran,” Ansari told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday.

At 32, Ansari will be the youngest woman in Congress after taking office in January. She also is the first Iranian-American from Arizona to be elected to the U.S. House.

“I knocked on over 180,000 doors in our district to talk directly to constituents,” Ansari said. “I am looking forward to what’s ahead.”

Ansari, who previously served the Phoenix City Council as vice mayor, experienced a nail-biting primary prior to her Election Day victory.

In fact, she won the Democratic CD3 primary by a mere 42 votes.

A mandatory recount due to the closeness of the race between Ansari and Raquel Terán narrowed the margin to 39 votes.

What are Rep. Yassamin Ansari’s top priorities?

“For me and my constituents, I know that the top issue is housing affordability,” Ansari said. “I really want to work on legislation to make housing more affordable and accessible to our district.”

She also plans to have a full schedule with various responsibilities.

“I also really hope to serve on the transportation and infrastructure subcommittee, and work to improve our sustainable transportation here in Phoenix,” Ansari said.

There’s a lot to do, she added. However, she’s more than ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work.

“I’m someone who works really hard and gets things done,” Ansari said. “I hope that the residents of this district are excited because I’m really excited to serve them.”

What does Rep. Yassamin Ansari think of the presidential election?

Zooming out of her own personal victory, Ansari said she hopes the rest of Congress will see more blue newcomers.

“I think that I am still holding out hope that we can win the House majority for Democrats,” she said.

She went on to say she has reservations about former President Donald Trump winning a seat in the Oval Office again.

“In my view, the incoming Trump presidency will have dire consequences for our planet, our reproductive rights, our economy and our democracy,” Ansari said.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari shares thoughts on President Donald Trump

Her economic concerns come from his policies, which include placing baseline tariffs on foreign-made goods and passing the Trump Reciprocal Trade Act.

“Top economists in the country have said that they believe his plans will lead to higher costs of living, lower minimum wages and less affordable housing,” Ansari said.

While she’s willing to reach across the aisle for the sake of benefitting her constituents, she has concerns over Trump’s campaign trail comments.

“I will not tolerate racism, sexism, assaults on reproductive rights for women,” Ansari said. “I really hope that President Trump will not do the things that he said he’s going to do.”

Lastly, Ansari said she wanted to reach out to residents of CD3 who didn’t vote for her.

“Whether you voted for me or not, I am going to work really really hard for you, and I will continue to be accessible and transparent,” Ansari said. “I will always have an open door to hear from my constituents and fight for them in any way that I can.”