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Democrat School Board Chair Ends U.S. Senate Campaign Amid “Superintendent Crisis”
Des Moines Public School Board (DMPS) Chair Jackie Norris ended her campaign for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat after facing backlash following the arrest of former superintendent and illegal immigrant Ian Andre Roberts.
Norris, who previously served as Michelle Obama’s chief of staff, entered the race in August.
According to Fox News, Norris said the “superintendent crisis” required her full attention as board chair.
“Those realities took time and oxygen away from the work I set out to do: stand up for our kids and families — and the backbone of our communities, their educators and caregivers,” Norris said in a statement, according to the outlet.
BREAKING: Des Moines Public Schools Chairwoman Jackie Norris has suspended her campaign for U.S. Senate.
This comes after it was revealed that Norris hired Ian Roberts as superintendent, who was an illegal alien.
Norris previously served as Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama. pic.twitter.com/U6ajI3A9F7
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) October 16, 2025
Iowa Capital Dispatch has more:
In a Democratic primary field that had some candidates getting more national or state attention, such as state Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, and Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, as well as former Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Director Nathan Sage, Norris’ campaign had a lower profile than some of her competitors.
But in the two months since her announcement, the Des Moines School Board has become a focal point in state and national politics. In late September, Roberts, who served as DMPS superintendent since 2023, was arrested and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Federal officials have since confirmed Roberts, a citizen of Guyana, was given an order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024.
Multiple reports had also found Roberts had falsified parts of his education credentials and resume during the DMPS hiring process. The background check process conducted during this process also did not reveal some of Roberts’ previous criminal charges or immigration status — issues which led to the school board moving to sue the search firm it used in hiring Roberts, JG Consulting.
“As Chair of the School Board, we stepped up and are bringing accountability — leading with grace, transparency, and resolve,” her statement continued.
“To that end, it’s clear I need to focus on the work at hand: leading the board through this transition, working to support the passage of the Reimagining Education bond, and fully participating in ongoing investigations to get the answers our community deserves,” it added.
Dem school board chair drops Senate bid after ‘radical empathy’ backlash over illegal immigrant superintendent https://t.co/KSTvhm1tQa pic.twitter.com/6yje7uNRSy
— New York Post (@nypost) October 17, 2025
Fox News provided further info:
Roberts, the former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, has an extensive criminal history and was living and working in the U.S. illegally.
He submitted his resignation Sept. 30 after his Sept. 26 arrest by immigration authorities, which involved a brief car chase.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said agents allegedly found a gun, hunting knife and $3,000 in cash in his car.
Federal officials say Roberts, who illegally returned to the U.S. from Guyana in 1999 after a theft and drug arrest, was convicted in 2012 of reckless driving, unsafe operation and speeding in Maryland.
In 2020, he was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree weapon charges.
Despite overstaying visas on multiple occasions and being ordered deported in 2004 and 2024, he holds active voter status and is a registered Democrat in Maryland.
Roberts was charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms, according to authorities.