Conor Lamb’s victory last night proved once again that 2018 is going to witness a major Democratic wave, and with enough grassroots support and enthusiasm, there is no district too red to be flipped.
The next big pickup opportunity is in Arizona’s 8th congressional district, where a special election will take place on April 24th. The race is to fill the seat left by disgraced former GOP Rep. Trent Franks in the wake of several sexual harassment allegations. Trump won the district by 12.1 points in 2016 — but hey, he won PA-18 by 21 points, and we obviously know what happened there.
In a closely contested primary, Democrats ultimately chose Dr. Hiral Tipirneni, an emergency room physician and cancer researcher who emigrated to the United States from India with her family when she was just three years old. As you might expect, she’s strong on issues like healthcare — she wants a public option for Medicare buy-in — and immigration, which is a hot point of contention in Arizona.
Here’s a good bio ad for Dr. Tiperneni:
What’s nice is that, even in a red district, she’s even willing to take a stand on guns — even as the GOP spent all day mocking the students who walked out of their classrooms to protest the national epidemic of gun violence.
The Republican that Tipirneni is facing is… well, she doesn’t seem all that kind. In a recent debate, Debbie Lesko just regurgitated bad GOP talking points, suggesting “free healthcare” was fiscally irresponsible and backing the construction of Trump’s Wall. She’d be another far-right drone for the extremist Republican Party, a warm body with a cold heart.
I mean, even as Trump sinks the party, she’s still blatantly aligning herself with him.
That spot alone should make you want to support Tipirneni. Support Tipirneni’s campaign via Progressives Everywhere’s page for her campaign. You can also give to Progressive Everywhere’s entire slate of great candidates on ActBlue!