(UPDATED) Dr. Hiral Tipirneni is poised to turn Arizona Congressional District Six Blue

Republicans are facing their worst nightmare in Arizona Congressional District (CD) Six. Factors contributing to this bad dream are:

• A compelling, pragmatic- problem-solving Democratic House Nominee in Dr. Hiral Tipirneni.
• An ethically challenged and out of touch incumbent in Republican David Schweikert.
• A fundraising disadvantage where the Democrat Tipirneni easily outpacing the financially shunned Schweijkert (maybe donors did not want their contributions going to the babysitter.)
• Changing demographics in the district that favor the Democrats.
• Donald Trump and his (and Schweikert’s) handling of the Coronavirus, health care, and other economic-social justice issues.

The Cook Report currently rates the race for Arizona CD Six a toss-up.

An immigrant who moved here with her parents when she was three years old, Dr. Tipirnei epitomizes the American Dream.

An Emergency Room physician, she is running to become the next House Representative from CD Six because she is “always invested in strengthening her community and improving its quality of life.”

If victorious this November, Dr. Tipirneni will focus on health care reform, strengthening the economy, and sustainable renewable energy infrastructure jobs.

Dr. Tipirneni graciously took the time to discuss her candidacy for CD Six.

The questions and her answers are below.

1) Please tell the voters three reasons they should pick you over your opponent Representative Schweikert?

• “I come from a background of service as an ER physician. I believe in serving others, listening to their concerns, and fighting on their behalf. I will be there to support them.”

• “I will be a champion on health care whereas he is not. I will always work to promote health care for families and communities by expanding access, making it more affordable, filling the gap for uninsured and underinsured in a comprehensive approach, expanding the ACA, protecting Medicare, and opening up Medicaid for more eligible families.”

• “As a scientist, I am not a partisan. I believe in an evidence-based approach to policy. I am not out to please a partisan or political leader or ideology. this is clearly missing with Mr. Schweikert and this has happened in other policy areas.”

 2) Please tell the voters at least three ways Mr. Schweikert has failed the voters of Congressional District Six.

• “He has violated his oath to Arizona Families in the votes he has cast and his ethics violations.”

• “He has not voted in the interests of Arizona Families and opted for special interests.”
• “He has been an abject failure in health care. Health care is at the core of everyone’s lives. He has voted against the ability to protect people with preexisting coverage. He wants to repeal the ACA. He has been against lowering drug process. He has also supported putting Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block.”

 

• “He clearly is corrupt. It is a slap in the face to know he has misused taxpayer money for frivolous reasons like wooing donors and paying babysitters. That is a disgrace to the voters in CD Six.”

 3) Please tell the voters at least three domestic issues you feel are important to pursue if you are elected to the House of Representatives?

• “Health care reform: There should be quality and affordable health care for everyone. We need to do better by Americans instead of making them face hard choices. I want to stabilize the ACA and make sure we fill in the gap with a robust public option. It also helps us bring down the costs of prescriptions. People, during a pandemic, should not have to worry about health care bills, rent, or food.”

• “Economic reform: “We need to be better than we were before the pandemic and make the playing field better with increased opportunity, better-paying jobs, greater retirement security, and a tax system that does not hurt the middle class and the most vulnerable.” 

• “Grow our renewable energy economy that will grow many infrastructure jobs.”

4) Please tell the voters at least three international issues you feel are important to pursue if you are elected to the House of Representatives?

• “Get back into the Paris Climate Accord. The United States needs a seat at the table and to be able to work with our global partners.”

• “Strengthen overall our standing with the allies and reassert ourselves as the leaders of the Free World.” 

• “Get back in the World Health Organization, strengthen its mission, and invest in its resources to help with emergencies like the COVID 19 pandemic. We need to be a strong partner. With this idea of anticipating a vaccine, we have to comprehensive in a national strategy on how it will be received and distributed through the supply chain. I implore our leaders to get that strategy ready.”
• “We want to maintain strong trading relationships with our partners and protect corporations and workers as well as AZ interests. We value our trade agreements with our partners like Mexico.”

5) Is there anything you would like the voter to know about you or your candidacy that has not been asked in the first four questions.

• “I am a first-generation immigrant. My parents believe in the American Dream and thanks to them I achieved that by becoming a physician.”

• “It is important that I give back to the community, as a doctor and a public servant to the people of CD Six.” 

• “Our campaign and team are so excited and proud of what we’ve built and where we are headed. We are excited about where we are going. We welcome anyone that wants to come aboard to help win this winnable seat. We are ready to get this job done. CD Six families deserve so much better than what they have, and we are ready to get to work after 11/3.”

For more information on Dr. Hiral Tipirneni and her candidacy, please click on her webpage here and her Facebook Page here.

Please also click the link below to see the in-depth post-primary interview she had with Maricopa Democratic Party Chair Steven Slugocki.

(UPDATE)

Newsweek reports that internal Democratic polling now shows Dr. Tipirneni with a three-point lead over Mr. Schweikert.

Matt Grodsky, the Spokesperson for the Arizona Democratic Party issued a statement that read:

“As an ER physician, Dr. Tipirneni has a track record of service to the community. She is running a campaign focused on health care reform, strengthening the economy, and creating jobs. Meanwhile, CD6’s current representative is a crook who has voted to keep prescription drug prices high, supported cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and has been engulfed in scandal for not one, not two, but eleven ethics violations. Dr. Tipirneni is the clear choice for voters this November, and the latest polling shows they realize that.”

 

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