Ace Parsi

Parsi was born in Iran and immigrated to the United States with his family at age eight, according to his campaign website and news coverage; he says his family relied on his brother's grocery job, his mother's sewing and child care work, and public assistance.[2][6][3][4] He describes learning English through English as a Second Language programs in public schools and becoming a high school state weightlifting record holder.[6][3] He earned a high school diploma from Wyoming Area High School and a bachelor's degree from Penn State University in 2005, and The Dominion Post reports that he later earned a graduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley.[2][6]

Parsi began his career as a teacher through AmeriCorps, serving in a low-income school.[6][3] His career experience includes working as an advocate on public education issues, and news coverage describes him as a longtime community organizer and activist in Morgantown.[2][6][4] He and his wife moved to West Virginia, where she was raised, about ten years before an April 2026 interview, and he served as coalition engagement director for iCivics before leaving the role to run for Congress.[7] Parsi lives in Morgantown and, according to news coverage, is married with a daughter.[6]

Parsi announced his candidacy in January 2026 and won the May 12, 2026 Democratic primary with 39.8% of the vote over Stephanie Spears Tomana and Steven Wendelin.[2][6] During the campaign, he said he was running on affordability, care and a more responsive government.[2][3][4] He received 40.6% of the vote to Riley Moore's 59.4%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]