Candidate Profile: Dr. Hiral Tipirneni For Congress In District 6

The 2020 election is heating up in Arizona with plenty of candidates vying for office. While there is a huge emphasis on the presidential election, voters will also decide the outcome of state representative and senate seats.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Dr. Hiral Tipirneni, a Glendale resident, is running for U.S. House Of Representatives District 6.

Age: 52
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Family: Kishore (husband), Mira (daughter, 24), Anjali (daughter, 22), Jalen (son, 20)
Occupation: Emergency Medical Physician (10 years), Cancer Research Advocate (10 years)
Previous elected experience: None
Family members in government: None
Campaign website: https://hiralforcongress.com/

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Healthcare. My primary goal is to ensure that every single American has access to quality, affordable health care. I am challenging an opponent who has tried, time and time again, to repeal the ACA with no plan to replace the legislation with another viable option. This would immediately kick 363,000 Arizonans off their health coverage and raise costs for countless more. This would also eliminate protections for the one in every two Americans with pre-existing conditions - a move that would jeopardize the health and wellbeing of countless Americans. In Congress, like in the ER, I’ll fight to keep Arizonans and their families protected.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Just as my opponent took an oath when he became a member of Congress ten years ago, I also took an oath when I became a physician. I upheld my oath to always serve my patients to the best of my ability. My opponent, on the other hand, spent his time in Congress serving his corporate backers and party bosses, not the people of this district. He was unanimously reprimanded on the floor of the United States House of Representatives for eleven separate ethics violations and has consistently voted against the interest of average Arizonans to endanger Social Security, repeal the ACA, and let drug companies jack up prices. I’ll arrive in Washington ready to protect healthcare, make the tax code more fair for working families and small businesses, and root out all forms of corruption.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In my career as a scientist and emergency room physician, I worked on teams to solve complex problems and implement data-driven solutions. Not once did I ask a patient whether they were a Democrat or a Republican; instead, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work to serve them. I’m an independent thinker who won’t fall victim to partisan bickering and will, instead, reach across the aisle to get the job done. The last six months have made it abundantly clear that we need more doctors in the House to address the ongoing pandemic and public health crisis. From the very beginning, the government’s response to this pandemic has been an abject failure of leadership, and I’ll arrive in Washington ready to work on a recovery plan on day one.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?

Arizona small businesses and working families desperately need aid to address the ongoing economic crisis and mass unemployment. People need help to buy food, pay their medical bills and make their rent and mortgage payments. Residents of this district are calling out for strong, effective leadership to push through these initiatives, and so far our elected leaders have ignored that call. In Congress, I’ll fight to get our economy back on track by reinstating the expired expanded unemployment benefits that were a lifeline for families out of work and for small businesses helped by increased consumer spending, to invest in our infrastructure to put the economic conditions in place for business growth, and to level the playing field between small and large businesses so our local companies can compete fairly.

How will you address the calls for racial justice and police reform?

I believe it’s our duty as a nation to address the systemic racism and generations of inequities and discrimination that have held back our Black and Brown communities. This includes not only reforming our criminal justice system to end racial profiling, discriminatory policing and police brutality, but broader initiatives that work toward a level playing field that ensures equal economic and educational opportunity, access to quality and affordable housing, eliminating health disparities, and so many other critical issues.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

Members of Congress should serve the people they represent, not their corporate backers, lobbyist buddies or personal pocketbook. I’ve proposed a comprehensive ethics plan to fully address ethical impropriety, root out political corruption and limit the influence of money in politics. It would ban corporate PAC money, limit the power of lobbyists, overturn Citizens United and limit dark money in our elections, and end personal profits for members of Congress. This plan would also ensure that elected lawmakers cannot get away with breaking ethics rules, as my opponent, Rep. David Schweikert, did for years. Arizonans deserve a Representative who’s fighting for them, and with me in Congress, they’ll finally get the representation they deserve. In Congress, I’ll fight for the issues that matter to Arizona families such as lowering prescription drugs, investing in infrastructure, and protecting and strengthening Social Security and Medicare.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

For over 20 years, I’ve served our community here in the Valley as an emergency room doctor and cancer research advocate. Now more than ever, with rising health care costs and deductibles, families in our community need someone who is willing to reach across the aisle and work with anyone to get real results. My whole career has been about solving problems and improving lives, no matter what someone’s party registration is – and that’s the approach I would bring to Congress. It’s time we had a representative who cared more about us than themselves, their party, and special interests – that’s why I’m running.

This article originally appeared on the Phoenix Patch