Ako Abdul-Samad
Ako Abdul-Samad (Democratic Party) was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing District 34. He assumed office on January 1, 2023. He left office on January 1, 2025.
Abdul-Samad (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Iowa House of Representatives to represent District 34. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Abdul-Samad served as assistant minority leader until 2024.
Biography
Ako Abdul-Samad was born in Des Moines, Iowa.[1] Abdul-Samad's career experience includes working as the CEO of Creative Visions. He served as the vice president of the Des Moines Public School Board.[1][2]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at:editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Abdul-Samad was assigned to the following committees:
- House Local Government Committee, Ranking Member
- Natural Resources Committee
- Public Safety Committee
- International Relations Committee
2021-2022
Abdul-Samad was assigned to the following committees:
- Environmental Protection Committee
- House Ethics Committee
- House Local Government Committee
- Public Safety Committee
2019-2020
Abdul-Samad was assigned to the following committees:
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Environmental Protection |
| • Human Resources |
| • Public Safety |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Abdul-Samad served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Administration and Rules |
| • Education |
| • Human Resources |
| • Public Safety |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Abdul-Samad served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Administration and Rules |
| • Education |
| • Human Resources |
| • Public Safety |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Abdul-Samad served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Administration and Rules |
| • Education |
| • Human Resources |
| • Public Safety |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Abdul-Samad served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Administration and Rules |
| • Education |
| • Human Resources |
| • Labor |
| • Transportation |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
Ako Abdul-Samad did not file to run for re-election.
2022
See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 34
Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad defeated RJ Miller in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 34 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ako Abdul-Samad (D) | 83.9 | 5,985 | |
| RJ Miller (Independent) | 15.3 | 1,088 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 58 | ||
| Total votes: 7,131 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 34
Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 34 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ako Abdul-Samad | 99.5 | 2,280 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 11 | ||
| Total votes: 2,291 | ||||
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2020
See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 35
Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad won election in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 35 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ako Abdul-Samad (D) | 97.0 | 7,542 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 3.0 | 235 | ||
| Total votes: 7,777 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 35
Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad defeated Calvetta Williams in the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 35 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ako Abdul-Samad | 80.9 | 1,876 | |
| Calvetta Williams | 19.0 | 441 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 2,319 | ||||
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2018
General election
General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 35
Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad defeated John Callahan in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 35 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ako Abdul-Samad (D) | 77.8 | 5,682 | |
| John Callahan (L) | 21.3 | 1,552 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 65 | ||
| Total votes: 7,299 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 35
Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 35 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ako Abdul-Samad | 100.0 | 1,531 | |
| Total votes: 1,531 | ||||
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2016
Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 18, 2016.
Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad defeated Jocelyn Fry in the Iowa House of Representatives District 35 general election.[3][4]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 35 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | 75.84% | 6,458 | ||
| Libertarian | Jocelyn Fry | 24.16% | 2,057 | |
| Total Votes | 8,515 | |||
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad ran unopposed in the Iowa House of Representatives District 35 Democratic primary.[5][6]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 35 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | ||
2014
Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 14, 2014. Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad was unopposed in the Democratic primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[7][8][9][10]
2012
Abdul-Samad ran in the 2012 election for Iowa House of Representatives District 35. Abdul-Samad ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 5, 2012, and defeated Terrance Williams in the general election on November 6, 2012.[11][12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 73.4% | 7,508 | ||
| Republican | Terrance Williams | 26.6% | 2,727 | |
| Total Votes | 10,235 | |||
2010
Abdul-Samad won re-election to the 66th District Seat in 2010 with no opposition. In the June 8th primary election, Abdul-Samad defeated Democratic primary opponent Clair E. Rudison, Jr. by a margin of 912 to 306. The general election took place on November 2, 2010.[13]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 66 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| 4,646 | ||||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Abdul-Samad was re-elected to the 66th District Seat in the Iowa House of Representatives, defeating Chis Moeller (Green).[14] Abdul-Samad raised $21,695 for his campaign, while Moeller raised $1,501.[15]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 66 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| 6,734 | ||||
| Chris Moeller (G) | 1,889 | |||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ako Abdul-Samad did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Ako Abdul-Samad did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
As of 2014, Abdul-Samad is a member of the Black Panther Party - Des Moines Chapter, Vice President of the Center for the Study and Application of Black Economic Development of the International Civil Rights Solidarity Movement, Founder/President of the National African-American Islamic Association and Co-Founder/Coordinator of the Young Men's Christian Association Downtown Teen Program.[16]
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Iowa scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
In 2024, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 8 to April 20.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 4.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 24.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 11 to May 19.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 13 to June 14. The session was suspended from March 16 through June 3.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 14 through April 27.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 5.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 9 through April 22.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 11 through April 29.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 12 through June 5.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the 85th Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 13 through May 2.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 14 to May 23.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the 84th Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 9.[19]
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See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Iowa Legislature, "Ako Abdul-Samad - All Years," accessed May 13, 2023
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Ako Abdul-Samad," accessed May 13, 2023
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "General Candidate List, 2016," accessed August 24, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Canvass Summary," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," March 21, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Canvass Summary," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 1, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Department of Elections, "2012 Primary Candidates," accessed May 15, 2012
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official 2010 General election results," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official 2008 General election results," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ Follow The Money, "Funds raised by 2008 Iowa House candidates," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed April 8, 2014
- ↑ ACLU Iowa, "Legislative Report & Civil Liberties Scorecard," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ ACLU of Iowa, "Legislative Report & Civil Liberties Scorecard," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ StateScape, "Session schedules," accessed August 2, 2014
- ↑ ACLU of Iowa, "Civil Liberties report card," accessed July 11, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bruce Hunter (D) |
Iowa House of Representatives District 34 2023-2025 |
Succeeded by Rob Johnson (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Iowa House of Representatives District 35 2007-2023 |
Succeeded by Sean Bagniewski (D) |