Sami Scheetz (born 1996) is an American politician and small business owner who has represented the 78th district of the Iowa House of Representatives since January 2023, which consists of parts of southeastern Cedar RapidsinLinn County. He is the first Arab American to serve in the Iowa General Assembly. He is a member of the Democratic Party.[1][2]
Sami Scheetz
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| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 78th district | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Jarad Klein (redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1996 (age 27–28) Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Georgetown University |
| Occupation | Small business owner |
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Scheetz was born in 1996 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was raised. He graduated from Washington High School and received a bachelor's degree in government and history from Georgetown University.[1] While attending college he worked for the United States Department of StateinDubai.[3]
Scheetz announced his candidacy for the 39th district of the Iowa Senate in June 2021. He withdrew weeks later upon Liz Bennett's entrance into the race and instead ran for the 78th district of the Iowa House of Representatives.[4] He won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 7, 2022, and defeated Republican Anne Fairchild in the general election on November 8 by over 3,700 votes, becoming the first Arab American to serve in the Iowa Legislature.[5]
In 2024, Scheetz filed to run for reelection.[6] He won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 4, 2024, and will run unopposed in the general election on November 5, 2024.[5]
Scheetz currently serves on the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Public Safety committees.[7]
Scheetz has said that his priorities include education, healthcare, and workers' rights. He supports making community college free and legalizing marijuana. He does not support the use of eminent domain for the construction of CO2 pipelines. He is pro-choice.[2][8]
Scheetz previously worked with the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, Fred Hubbell's 2018 campaign for governor, and Michael Franken's 2022 campaign for US senator.[3][8]
Scheetz resides in Cedar Rapids. He is a small business owner and community organizer.[1] His mother, a teacher, immigrated to the United States from Damascus, Syria.[9] His father is a lawyer.[10]
| Election | Political result | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa House of Representatives Democratic primary elections, 2022 [5] District 78 Turnout: 2,424 | Democratic (newly redistricted) | Sami Scheetz | Democratic | 2,405 | 99.2 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 19 | 0.8 | |||||
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 [5] District 78 Turnout: 10,731 | Democratic (newly redistricted) | Sami Scheetz | Democratic | 7,239 | 67.5 | ||
| Anne Fairchild | Republican | 3,466 | 32.3 | ||||
| Other/Write-in votes | 26 | 0.2 | |||||