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TWITTER / ANITA MALIK
Anita Malik, left, and Hiral Tipirmeni will be political rivals for the Democratic nomination in Arizona's District 6 |
They may have lost in their first bids for office, but that isn't deterring six Asian American candidates from jumping into the political fray again.
Andrew Janz, Anita Malik, Hiral Tipirmeni, Srinivas Rao Preston Kulkarni, and Gina Ortiz Jones are reportedly not letting their defeats in 2018 dampen their belief in public service in 2020.
Six months after her loss on Nov. 6, 2018, Hiral Tipirneni, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress from Arizona’s District 8, is running again, this time from Arizona’s District 6.
District 8 is a deeply conservative district with a big Republican majority and yet, Tipirmeni, a physician and cancer researcher, had a strong showing against GOP incumbent Debbie Lesko.
By switching to District 6 -- residency is not required -- Tipirmeni will have to win the primary against fellow Democrat and Indian American Anita Malik, who also ran unsuccessfully in 2018.
Malik, a sel-employed businesswoman, announced her intention to run Wednesday (April 17), said that Tipirmeni had called her to let her know of her intention to run in District 6. "In a lot of ways, it's very disappointing," Malik said. "We were never besties. We're friendly. I have great respect for her. ... Not being from the district, it does concern me."
"Our ear has been at the ground of this district for a long time. I'm embedded in this district. This is my home. We know what people are looking for," Malik said in a dig against Tipirmeni. "The idea of 'chosen one' politics, that's not part of our democracy. ... We know what they're looking for. We have the momentum."
District 6 is also GOP-majority but incumbent Rep. David Schweikert is mired in an ongoing investigation by the U.S. House Ethics Committee, which is examining possible misspending by his office and campaign.
Over in Texas, Kulkarni, a former Foreign Service officer, declared that he would challenge the incumbent for 22nd District seat for the U.S. Congres.
“When I saw partisan tension tearing our country apart, I knew the most patriotic thing to do, and the best way to serve my country, was to run for office,” he tweeted on April 4.
Kulkarni lost his bid in the midterm election to long-time Republican incumbent Pete Olson, by less than 5 percentage points.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Kulkarni will target registering about 70,000 voters he had identified, noting that the Indian American lost by some 14,000 votes in 2018.
On the western part of the state, the 23rd District, Texas' largest district, will see a replay of the last election pitting incumbent Rep. Will Hurd against challenger Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones.
Although Ortiz Jones, a Filipina American Air Force veteran and former White House employee, hasn't formally declared her intention to run, she said right after the Nov. 6 elections that she is "very likely" to run again and has never really stopped campaigning against Hurd, trolling the Republican on social media every chance she could, attacking his professed opposition to a border wall, but reminding everyone that when it came down to it, Hurd voted for funding the Trump wall three times.
Ortiz Jones also tries to debunk Hurd’s reputation for accessibility, tweeting out periodic reminders of how much time has elapsed since the congressman’s most recent in-person town hall.
Having lost by only 926 votes in 2018, the general consensus among Democrats is that the presidential election will attract more Democratic voters, enough to topple Hurd.
The Democratic National Committee has announced that it will target California's District 22 to turn blue in 2020. But it appears they will have to find a candidate to opposed incumbent Devin Nunes because 2018 challenger Andrew Janz still hasn't announced his plans for 2020.
Janz, who was able to raise over $9 million without the support of the Democratic Party, gave Nunes his first serious challenge for the Central Valley district. Janz strong showing forced Nunes to spend his campaign chest on his own race rather than helping fellow Republican candidates, as he has done in the past, thus helping the Democrats to turn seven Republican districts to blue.
Despite his strong showing, Janz said he will most likely not run for Congress again.
The Thai American candidate's loss to Nunes didn't turn Janz off to politics. Rather, it made him consider another run for office -- the mayor of Fresno. He has been meeting with supporters and family and will make an announcement soon.
“The general consensus in these meetings is there’s no leadership at City Hall,” said Janz, who has returned to his job as a Deputy District Attorney. “And for that reason, I am strongly considering running for mayor.”
Ortiz Jones also tries to debunk Hurd’s reputation for accessibility, tweeting out periodic reminders of how much time has elapsed since the congressman’s most recent in-person town hall.
Having lost by only 926 votes in 2018, the general consensus among Democrats is that the presidential election will attract more Democratic voters, enough to topple Hurd.
The Democratic National Committee has announced that it will target California's District 22 to turn blue in 2020. But it appears they will have to find a candidate to opposed incumbent Devin Nunes because 2018 challenger Andrew Janz still hasn't announced his plans for 2020.
Janz, who was able to raise over $9 million without the support of the Democratic Party, gave Nunes his first serious challenge for the Central Valley district. Janz strong showing forced Nunes to spend his campaign chest on his own race rather than helping fellow Republican candidates, as he has done in the past, thus helping the Democrats to turn seven Republican districts to blue.
Despite his strong showing, Janz said he will most likely not run for Congress again.
The Thai American candidate's loss to Nunes didn't turn Janz off to politics. Rather, it made him consider another run for office -- the mayor of Fresno. He has been meeting with supporters and family and will make an announcement soon.
“The general consensus in these meetings is there’s no leadership at City Hall,” said Janz, who has returned to his job as a Deputy District Attorney. “And for that reason, I am strongly considering running for mayor.”
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