Indian American Hiral Tipirneni Wins Democratic Primary in Arizona’s 6th District
- She defeated her nearest rival, fellow Indian American Anita Malik, in a four-way race.
Hiral Tipirneni, a practicing physician turned politician, has won the Democratic primary in Arizona’s 6th District on Aug. 4, defeating fellow Indian American and tech entrepreneur Anita Malik. Tipirneni will face Republican Rep. David Schweikert in November. The Hill reported that Schweiker, “who was unchallenged in his primary, is vying for a sixth term after prevailing in 2018 by over 10 points.”
However, the Democrats are counting on Tipirneni to flip District 8 from red to blue, as Schweikert is considered to be vulnerable in the strongly GOP district because he is facing a probe from the House Ethics Committee over allegations of misusing official funds and receiving improper campaign contributions. Tipirneni has also proven to be “a formidable fundraiser in her races,” the Hill reported, and speculated that she will “likely be well funded in her challenge against Schweikert.”
“I am honored to be the nominee in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District,” Tipirneni tweeted after her win. “Thank you to the voters who have put their trust in me and to the volunteers who made it happen.”
After two previous unsuccessful attempts against Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), from the state’s 8th Congressional District which is a Republican strong-hold, Tipirneni chose to run from a district she doesn’t live in. In the Aug. 5 primary, she defeated another Indian American, Anita Malik, who challenged the Republican incumbent in 2018, as well as businesswoman Stephanie Rimmer, and a public relations agency owner, Karl Gentles.
Tipirneni came to the U.S. from India with her family when she was three years old, according to her campaign. Tipirneni was inspired to go into medicine after suffering a childhood illness. She earned her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University and has served as chief resident of the University of Michigan’s emergency medicine program.
- In an earlier version of the story, the headline wrongly said Tipirneni won in the 8th district. We apologize for the error.
— Editor