Des Moines Public Schools Board Chair Jackie Norris, a former Michelle Obama chief of staff, withdrew her Democratic bid for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat after she was embroiled in a scandal involving former superintendent Ian Andre Roberts, an illegal immigrant with a criminal history of drug convictions, theft, weapons charges, and fake degrees. Iowa is a vital swing state, and so this may have significant repercussions for the Senate in the future.
For context, after she issued a statement urging “radical empathy” toward Roberts, she resigned on September 30, 2025, claiming to have suffered “vicious attacks.” Norris then pivoted to other issues, stating she was leaving the race “head high” and vowing to continue community service.
Announcing her embarrassing retirement, she explained her decision. “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,” Jackie Norris declared.
Building on this point, she said, “The school board stepped up and is bringing accountability — leading with grace, transparency, and resolve. 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.”
Concluding this, her announcement, she claimed to be in good spirits. “I leave this race with my head high, and I’ll continue serving my community and doing everything I can to help Democrats win this seat,” Norriss said to rationalize the disgraceful situation.
Reacting to the bizarre situation, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa). Who had been running against Norris had previously called for her resignation, saying, “She can’t even run the bare minimum of hiring standards at the Des Moines Public Schools.”
As we reported, ICE issued a press release summarizing the details of the arrest. “ICE Des Moines arrested Ian Andre Roberts, a criminal illegal alien from Guyana, in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a fixed blade hunting knife,” the document stated.
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Adding more details, the same source said, “At the time of his arrest, Roberts was working as the Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools despite being an illegal alien with a final order of removal and no work authorization.”
In any case, the disgraced Jackie Norris attempted to shift the blame. She initially reported, “We were notified that the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked Doctor Roberts’ license to practice as a superintendent in the state of Iowa. Without such a license, Doctor Roberts is not in compliance with his contract.”
Concluding her comments, she made the remarks that should cost her Senate bid. “It seems fitting to take a page out of Dr. Roberts’s book and ask the community to engage in radical empathy as we work through the situation together. Radical empathy is the recognition that we can disagree and still empathize with each other, the respect of others’ humanity — this concept will be essential as we wait to learn more,” Norriss declared.