An Iowa Democrat who helped hire an illegal immigrant to run the Des Moines school district has dropped out of the race for the U.S. Senate, indicating she needed to pick up the pieces amid fallout from the arrest of former superintendent Ian Roberts last month.
Roberts, an illegal immigrant from Guyana, had no authorization to work in the United States. He was arrested by ICE last month.
Roberts was indicted Thursday on a federal charge of making a false statement on his I-9 form. He already faced a federal charge for allegedly being an illegal immigrant in possession of a firearm, according to the Des Moines Register.
Jackie Norris, who was among the candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat, has been on the school board since 2021 and had voted to hire Roberts. She currently chairs the board, according to the Des Moines Register.
“After thoughtful consideration, I have decided that I will no longer be a candidate for the U.S. Senate in the Democratic primary,” Norris said in a statement posted to her campaign website.
“The recent Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent crisis 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,” the statement added.
“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,” she continued.
“As Chair of the School Board, we stepped up and are bringing accountability — leading with grace, transparency, and resolve. 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,” the statement added.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson had used hiring Roberts as a point against Norris.
“She’s about as qualified to be a U.S. senator at this point as a goldfish is to run a marathon,” Hinson said in an interview with Fox News.
.@hinsonashley BLASTS Iowa liberal Jackie Norris for fundraising off Ian Roberts — the illegal superintendent she hired who ICE found with a loaded gun and hunting knife.
“She’s about as qualified to be a US Senator at this point as a goldfish is to run a marathon.” pic.twitter.com/34AogIJM6W
— Senate Republicans (@NRSC) October 1, 2025
A report from the Associated Press indicated that during his time at Des Moines, as he had in other places, Roberts tried to steer contracts to a group called Lively Paradox.
Three months into his tenure leading Des Moines public schools, Roberts requested that the district’s board approve $116,000 in emergency contracts.
The report said that school district staff refused to move one contract for the group through as a conflict of interest, because Lively Paradox employed Roberts as a speaker and consultant.
🚨 BREAKING
Former Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts has been indicted on charges of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship on an I-9 employment form and unlawfully possessing four firearms as an illegal alien. pic.twitter.com/N9vp1HlqsL
— Laura Powell (@LauraPowellEsq) October 17, 2025
Roberts, however, was able to ship $6,476 to the group because he was allowed to approve contracts at that amount.
The report added that in a pattern that began in 2017 when Roberts was in St. Louis, the consulting firm received thousands of dollars for services everywhere Roberts went.
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