Ako Abdul-Samad

American politician (born 1951)
Ako Abdul-Samad
Abdul-Samad in 2021
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives
from the 34th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 8, 2007
Preceded byEd Fallon
Personal details
Born (1951-07-25) July 25, 1951 (age 72)
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
OccupationCEO of Creative Visions
Websitelegis.iowa.gov/...

Ako Abdul-Samad (born July 25, 1951)[1][2] is the Iowa State Representative from the 34th District.[3] He has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2007. Previously, he was a member of the Des Moines school board. Abdul-Samad was born, raised, and resides in Des Moines.

Abdul-Samad is the founder and CEO of Creative Visions Human Development Institute, a nonprofit organization in Des Moines.

As of May 2013[update], Abdul-Samad serves on the Iowa House Administration and Rules, Education, Human Resources, and Public Safety committees. He also serves on the Health and Human Services Committee of the Midwestern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments.[4]

Abdul-Samad is founder and president of the African-American Islamic Association.[5]

In February 2024, Abdul-Samad announced that he would retire at the end of his current term.[6]

Electoral history

*incumbent

Election Political result Candidate Party Votes %
Iowa House of Representatives primary elections, 2006 [7]
District 66
Turnout: 1,625		Democratic Ako Abdul-SamadDemocratic85652.68%
Frank E. Affannato Democratic33220.43%
Tre Wilson Democratic21213.05%
Paul Lay Democratic21012.92%
Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2006 [8]
District 66
Turnout: 5,672		Democratic hold Ako Abdul-SamadDemocratic3,45960.98%
Jack Whitver Republican1,56627.61%
Jeff Johannsen Independent3987.02%
Brett Blanchfield Libertarian2253.97%
Iowa House of Representatives primary elections, 2008 [9]
District 66		Democratic Ako Abdul-Samad*Democraticunopposed
Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2008 [10]
District 66
Turnout: 10,303		Democratic hold Ako Abdul-Samad*Democratic6,73465.36%
Chris Moeller Iowa Green Party1,88918.33%
Iowa House of Representatives primary elections, 2010 [11]
District 66
Turnout: 1,304		Democratic Ako Abdul-Samad*Democratic91269.94%
Clair E. Rudison, Jr. Democratic30623.47%
Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2010 [12]
District 66		Democratic hold Ako Abdul-Samad*Democraticunopposed
Iowa House of Representatives primary elections, 2012 [13]
District 35		Democratic Ako Abdul-Samad*Democraticunopposed
Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2012 [14]
District 35
Turnout: 10,889		Democratic (newly redistricted) Ako Abdul-Samad*Democratic7,50868.95%
Terrance Williams Republican2,72725.04%

Voting History

During the legislative session of 2017, Abdul-Samad voted[15] against cutting $70.1 million from the department for the Blind, the College Student Aid Commission, the Department of Education, and the Board of Regents.[16]

Personal life

Abdul-Samad is a former Black Panthers lieutenant. His son was shot and killed at the age of 20 in 1997.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Meet the Candidate, Iowa House District 35: Ako Abdul-Samad". The Des Moines Register.
  2. ^ "State Representative".
  3. ^ Jackson, Sharyn (November 6, 2012). "Iowa House District 35: Ako Abdul-Samad wins". The Des Moines Register.
  4. ^ HHS Committee Roster Archived 2007-08-11 at the Wayback Machine CSG Midwest
  5. ^ "State Representative".
  6. ^ James, Kayla (15 February 2024). "Longtime state legislator Ako Abdul-Samad announces he's retiring at the end of this session". KCCI. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  7. ^ "2006 Primary Election, Official Results" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  8. ^ "Official Results Report – Statewide, Election: 2006 General Election-11-07-2006" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. 2006-11-21. p. 41. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  9. ^ "Official Results Report – Statewide, 2008 Primary Election-06-03-2008 Party: All" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. 2008-06-19. p. 205. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  10. ^ "State of Iowa Official Canvass Summary, November 4, 2008 General Election" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. p. 52. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  11. ^ "Official Results Report, 2010 Primary Election held Tuesday, June 8th 2010" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. 2010-07-01. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  12. ^ "Official Results Report, General Election held Tuesday, November 2nd 2010" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. 2010-11-23. p. 107. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  13. ^ "2012 Primary Election Canvass Summary" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. p. 129. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  14. ^ "2012 General Election Canvass Summary" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. p. 81. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  15. ^ Iowa Legislature. "House Journal, April 17, 2017" (PDF). Iowa Legislature. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  16. ^ Iowa Legislature. "House File 642". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  17. ^ Crowder, Courtney. "Ako Abdul-Samad's been marching for decades. But the pain that powers his steps is a story few know". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 24 March 2024.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ako Abdul-Samad.
  • flagIowa portal
  • Ako Abdul-Samad official Iowa General Assembly site
  • Ako Abdul-Samad State Representative official constituency site
  • Ako for Iowa official campaign site
  • Profile at Vote Smart
  • Appearances on C-SPAN Edit this at Wikidata
Iowa House of Representatives
Preceded by 66th District
2007–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by 35th District
2013–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Bruce Hunter
 35th District
2023–Present 		Succeeded by
  • v
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90th General Assembly (January 9, 2023 – January 12, 2025)
Speaker
Pat Grassley (R)
Speaker pro tempore
John Wills (R)
Majority Leader
Matt Windschitl (R)
Minority Leader
Jennifer Konfrst (D)
  1. ▌J. D. Scholten (D)
  2. ▌Robert Henderson (R)
  3. ▌Thomas Jeneary (R)
  4. ▌Skyler Wheeler (R)
  5. ▌Zach Dieken (R)
  6. ▌Megan Jones (R)
  7. ▌Mike Sexton (R)
  8. ▌Ann Meyer (R)
  9. ▌Henry Stone (R)
  10. ▌John Wills (R)
  11. ▌Brian Best (R)
  12. ▌Steven Holt (R)
  13. ▌Ken Carlson (R)
  14. ▌Jacob Bossman (R)
  15. ▌Matt Windschitl (R)
  16. ▌David Sieck (R)
  17. ▌Devon Wood (R)
  18. ▌Tom Moore (R)
  19. ▌Brent Siegrist (R)
  20. ▌Joshua Turek (D)
  21. ▌Brooke Boden (R)
  22. ▌Stan Gustafson (R)
  23. ▌Ray Sorensen (R)
  24. ▌Joel Fry (R)
  25. ▌Hans Wilz (R)
  26. ▌Austin Harris (R)
  27. ▌Kenan Judge (D)
  28. ▌David Young (R)
  29. ▌Brian Meyer (D)
  30. ▌Megan Srinivas (D)
  31. ▌Mary Madison (D)
  32. ▌Jennifer Konfrst (D)
  33. ▌Ruth Ann Gaines (D)
  34. ▌Ako Abdul-Samad (D)
  35. ▌Sean Bagniewski (D)
  36. ▌Austin Baeth (D)
  37. ▌Barb Kniff McCulla (R)
  38. ▌Jon Dunwell (R)
  39. ▌Rick Olson (D)
  40. ▌Bill Gustoff (R)
  41. ▌Molly Buck (D)
  42. ▌Heather Matson (D)
  43. ▌Eddie Andrews (R)
  44. ▌John Forbes (D)
  45. ▌Brian Lohse (R)
  46. ▌Dan Gehlbach (R)
  47. ▌Carter Nordman (R)
  48. ▌Phil Thompson (R)
  49. ▌Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D)
  50. ▌Ross Wilburn (D)
  51. ▌Dave Deyoe (R)
  52. ▌Sue Cahill (D)
  53. ▌Dean Fisher (R)
  54. ▌Joshua Meggers (R)
  55. ▌Shannon Latham (R)
  56. ▌Mark Thompson (R)
  57. ▌Pat Grassley (R)
  58. ▌Charley Thomson (R)
  59. ▌Sharon Steckman (D)
  60. ▌Jane Bloomingdale (R)
  61. ▌Timi Brown-Powers (D)
  62. ▌Jerome Amos Jr. (D)
  63. ▌Michael Bergan (R)
  64. ▌Anne Osmundson (R)
  65. ▌Shannon Lundgren (R)
  66. ▌Steve Bradley (R)
  67. ▌Craig Johnson (R)
  68. ▌Chad Ingels (R)
  69. ▌Tom Determann (R)
  70. ▌Norlin Mommsen (R)
  71. ▌Lindsay James (D)
  72. ▌Charles Isenhart (D)
  73. ▌Elizabeth Wilson (D)
  74. ▌Eric Gjerde (D)
  75. ▌Bob Kressig (D)
  76. ▌Derek Wulf (R)
  77. ▌Jeff Cooling (D)
  78. ▌Sami Scheetz (D)
  79. ▌Tracy Ehlert (D)
  80. ▌Art Staed (D)
  81. ▌Luana Stoltenberg (R)
  82. ▌Bobby Kaufmann (R)
  83. ▌Cindy Golding (R)
  84. ▌Thomas Gerhold (R)
  85. ▌Amy Nielsen (D)
  86. ▌David Jacoby (D)
  87. ▌Jeff Shipley (R)
  88. ▌Helena Hayes (R)
  89. ▌Elinor Levin (D)
  90. ▌Adam Zabner (D)
  91. ▌Brad Sherman (R)
  92. ▌Heather Hora (R)
  93. ▌Gary Mohr (R)
  94. ▌Mike Vondran (R)
  95. ▌Taylor Collins (R)
  96. ▌Mark Cisneros (R)
  97. ▌Ken Croken (D)
  98. ▌Monica Kurth (D)
  99. ▌Matthew Rinker (R)
  100. ▌Martin Graber (R)
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