Iowa Capital Dispatch story written by Robin Opsahl. Des Moines school board chair Jackie Norris, who was running for U.S. Senate, spoke to Iowans at the Polk County Democrats’ Steak Fry in Des Moines on September 13, 2025. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
(Des Moines) Des Moines School Board President Jackie Norris ended her campaign for U.S. Senate Thursday, saying she plans to focus on efforts to investigate and bring accountability to Des Moines Public Schools following the immigration arrest of former Superintendent Ian Roberts.
Norris had entered the race in August as a Democratic candidate, focusing her campaign on supporting public education and aid programs cut by recent GOP-backed laws like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. 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 that 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.
Norris said in a statement Thursday the Roberts situation has “demanded my full attention as Board Chair and, overnight, put the School Board, our community, and me personally in the crosshairs of vicious and coordinated attacks, …” and taken away her time and capacity to advocate for Iowans as a U.S. Senate candidate in the way she aimed to achieve.
“As Chair of the School Board, we stepped up and are bringing accountability — leading with grace, transparency, and resolve,” Norris said in a statement. “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.”
Republicans have attacked Norris for approving Roberts as superintendent and for her fundraising efforts as the situation unfolded.
“As chair of the Des Moines School Board, Iowa Democrat Senate candidate Jackie Norris hired an illegal alien with a rap sheet to be her Superintendent and work with children,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell said in a September statement. “Jackie Norris has put every single Des Moines student and family in danger. Democrats will stop at nothing to protect criminal illegal aliens.”
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson is the frontrunner to become the Republican nominee for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat in 2026. She entered the race after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst announced she would not run for reelection.
In addition to responding to the Roberts situation, Norris said she is advocating for the $265 million general obligation bond that will go before voters in the school district in the Nov. 4 election. The bond would cover the construction costs of the “Reimagining Education, Reinvigorating Schools” initiative, a five-year plan aiming at expanding all-day, 4-year-old preschool, creating more hands-on and technical programs for students and improving academic outcomes. The money approved through the bond would be paid back over 20 years through property taxes.
The school board and DMPS leaders announced Tuesday the creation of an independent, third-party oversight committee for the bond project, which would provide financial oversight and review of the initiative if the language is approved by voters.
Norris thanked Iowans who supported her Senate campaign in her announcement.
“I will keep fighting for a better politics,” Norris said. “I believe people will trust government again when politicians put people over a party label and get things done. 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.”
