Sameer Kanal

[4] Kanal was born in Portland, Oregon at the Bess Kaiser Hospital that is now part of the Adidas America headquarters.

His father was a small business owner and his mother worked for the State of Oregon helping new refugees.

[6] Kanal attended Clark College and received his Associate's degree in international relations and political science.

[7][8] On May 28, 2024, Kanal announced his intention to run for a seat on the newly expanded city council in the 2024 election.

[9] Kanal, along with Dan Ryan and Elana Pirtle-Guiney, won the race to represent District 2, which covers North and most of Northeast Portland.