Anita Malik

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Anita Malik

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 4, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Arizona State University, 1998

Graduate

University of Southern California, 2002

Personal

Birthplace

Kansas City, MO

Religion

Hindu

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign X

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Anita Malik (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Arizona's 6th Congressional District. She lost in the Democratic primary on August 4, 2020.

Malik completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Anita Malik was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She earned bachelor's degrees in computer information systems and finance from Arizona State University in 1998 and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California in 2002. Her career experience includes working as the executive advisor and COO for ClearVoice, co-founder and CEO of BrideRush, deputy director of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at ASU, and the founding editor and publisher of East West Magazine.

Elections

2020

See also: Arizona's 6th Congressional District election, 2020

Arizona's 6th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Republican primary)

Arizona's 6th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Arizona District 6

Incumbent David Schweikert defeated Hiral Tipirneni in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 6 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Schweikert (R)	52.2	217,783
		Hiral Tipirneni (D)	47.8	199,644

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 417,427
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tom Lewellen (Independent)
• Gennaro Napolitano (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 6

Hiral Tipirneni defeated Anita Malik, Stephanie Rimmer, and Karl Gentles in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 6 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Hiral Tipirneni	53.1	42,566
		Anita Malik	36.5	29,238
		Stephanie Rimmer	5.7	4,601
		Karl Gentles	4.6	3,657
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	87

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 80,149
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gene Scharer (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 6

Incumbent David Schweikert advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 6 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Schweikert	100.0	94,526

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,526
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election. It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees. The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Karl Gentles	Democratic Party	$256,955	$254,414	$2,541	As of December 31, 2020
Anita Malik	Democratic Party	$260,453	$266,207	$442	As of December 31, 2020
Stephanie Rimmer	Democratic Party	$190,419	$191,113	$0	As of December 31, 2020
Hiral Tipirneni	Democratic Party	$6,348,268	$6,413,897	$34,973	As of December 31, 2020
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

Noteworthy primary endorsements

This section includes noteworthy endorsements issued in the primary, added as we learn about them. Click here to read how we define noteworthy primary endorsements. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Democratic primary endorsements
Endorsement	Gentles	Malik	Tipirneni
Elected officials
U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.)			✔
U.S. Rep. Tom O'Halleran (D-Ariz.)			✔
Organizations
314 Action			✔
ASPIRE PAC			✔
BOLD PAC			✔
Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence			✔
Demand Universal Healthcare (DUH)		✔
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee			✔
EMILY's List			✔
Elect AAPI			✔
End Citizens United			✔
Equality PAC			✔
Everytown for Gun Safety			✔
Her Time			✔
Human Rights Campaign			✔
League of Conservation Voters			✔
NARAL			✔
NewDem Action Fund			✔
Off the Sidelines			✔
Peace Action		✔
Planned Parenthood Action Fund			✔

2018

See also: Arizona's 6th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Arizona District 6

Incumbent David Schweikert defeated Anita Malik in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 6 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Schweikert (R)	55.2	173,140
		Anita Malik (D)	44.8	140,559

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 313,699 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 6

Anita Malik defeated Heather Ross and Garrick McFadden in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 6 on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Anita Malik	42.2	22,666
		Heather Ross	37.6	20,203
		Garrick McFadden	20.2	10,825

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 53,694 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gustavo Ortega (D)
• John Williamson (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 6

Incumbent David Schweikert advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 6 on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Schweikert	100.0	83,406

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 83,406 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Malik was endorsed by:

• AFSCME
• Arizona AFL-CIO
• Arizona Republic
• Asian American Action Fund
• Center Action Fund
• Elizabeth Warren (D) - U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
• EMILY's List
• End Citizens United
• Giffords
• Indian American Impact Fund
• Indivisible
• League of Conservation Voters
• Moms Demand Action
• MoveOn
• Peace Action
• Sierra Club
• SMART
• Stonewall Democrats
• Teamsters Local 104
• Tulsi Gabbard (D) - U.S. Representative from Hawaii

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Anita Malik completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Malik's responses.

Expand All

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I've been a progressive leader in the tech and publishing industries for nearly two decades, tirelessly fighting for workplace equality.

As a woman in tech, former COO and Deputy Director, I've often led the way for women and people of color to have an equal voice at the table by fighting for inclusiveness, equal pay and maternity leave.

In 2018, I had the honor and privilege to be the Democratic nominee representing our district's families. I know this district, I grew up here and went to our public schools. Because of my deep roots here, we made history in the 2018 election.

We grew a grassroots movement, people who had never engaged in politics turned out to create change. We won a competitive 3-way primary, and went on to swing the district 14 points in the general election.

But during the general, my husband, James, had a catastrophic health emergency, resulting in over $200,000 in medical bills. We had insurance, but our broken health care system failed our family, leaving us to be part of the ⅓ of American families struggling with medical debt.

I'm ready to fight for our families and enact the changes we need.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• STRENGTHENING OUR FAMILIES: ECONOMY, JOBS AND EDUCATION I'll prioritize direct investments to our families and small businesses to ensure healthy people and a healthy economy well beyond this crisis. This includes helping to cover payroll and benefits for small businesses during COVID-19; continuing stimulus checks; establishing greater housing and rental protections; expanding and strengthening our supply chains; enacting universal paid family, medical and sick leave; extending unemployment assistance; ensuring stronger labor and fair trade policies; strengthening Social Security and passing a livable wage. I won't hesitate to empower our families. That's my commitment.

• KEEPING OUR FAMILIES HEALTHY: ENACTING HEALTH CARE AS A RIGHT We must move boldly away from employer-based coverage to guaranteed health care for all. However, if we're unable to pass a Medicare-for-All solution, I'll take meaningful, urgent steps to strengthen the ACA and build the foundation for universal health care. We must offer Medicare as a strong and affordable option for the uninsured and underinsured; end surprise billing and lower prescription drug prices. We must also take bold measures to effectively curb COVID-19. This includes having a unified response that protects frontline workers; develops vaccines and treatments and takes action to manufacture PPEs, ventilators and tests.

• EMPOWERING OUR VOICES: FIGHTING CORRUPTION AND CORPORATE INFLUENCE IN POLITICS I strongly stand against corporate influence over our Democracy and party; we must always put people over profits. To empower our community, I'm running a grassroots campaign with no corporate PAC money or self-funding. In fact, I'm the only candidate in this race with a plan and pledge to restore our voice in Congress. I'll enact a lifetime ban on lobbying for elected officials and require their tax returns; promote matching public funds for small donors; fight dark money; encourage independent redistricting; prohibit lawmakers from owning individual stocks and establish automatic voter registration. No American should be left voiceless in our Democracy.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm passionate about health care, social justice, women's rights and small business and technology.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

The people I admire most are those that are risking their lives to take care of others during these difficult times. I admire our emergency responders for keeping us safe; our health care workers who work tirelessly to take care of us despite inadequate supplies; our grocery workers, delivery workers and farmers for keeping our society functioning; our teachers who continue to educate our kids and our social workers who spend long hours to assist an overwhelming number of families in need. I admire the people of our district who've inspired me throughout my life and deserve to be represented.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials must lead by listening. They've forgotten our families and aren't prepared to address the fundamental issues we face as a nation. They've failed us. They've broken the American Dream, the opportunity so many came here for, including my parents. I want to see representatives who represent their constituents in office. And I want to put a stop to the hate. The color of our skin, our gender, our sexual orientation, our religious preference... these should not be political issues. I have the skills to lead, listen and build consensus across the district.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I lead with empathy and data-driven decision making.

If we can't understand the stories and the struggles around us, we can't lead people to a better future. And if we create policy without facts, we risk gaps and ineffective or harmful results. I've spent years, as a COO and deputy director, being called upon to make urgent and wide-reaching decisions, but I've never worked off a hunch or a viewpoint not supported by data.

That's what I bring to the table. And that's what's missing from the leadership in our district today.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

My core responsibilities will be to improve my constituents' lives by working toward better economic opportunities, safe communities and healthier families; to listen to and to work with my constituents to achieve these goals and to do the work with transparency and accountability.

I regularly hold public town halls for our constituency, which have recently transitioned to online video conferences due to COVID-19.

I have also taken the Town Hall Pledge and committed to quarterly meetings with various stakeholders in our district - unions, small business groups, tribal nations and advocacy groups - to empower our community to work together on policies that are important to all of us.

And I will always stay focused on what's best for our families and carry the voices of our district to DC.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"The Man" by Taylor Swift

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Throughout all of our lives, there are moments where life shifts instantly and unexpectedly. In 2018, my family experienced such a moment. As I approached the final months of the general election, my husband, James, had a catastrophic health emergency - multiple brain abscesses, leading him to undergo six separate neurosurgeries.

At a moment's notice, life became a blur; it left me numb as I clenched onto my remaining strength. As a wife, I attended to my husband between hospitals, feeling powerless through it all. As a mother, I did my best to help my two young boys understand and still thrive. And as a nominee for my district, I kept up the fight every single day, thanks to a dedicated team and countless volunteers. But there was also hope. My community gave me hope. They gave me the strength to continue.

In the end, the race was called. My husband, James, recovered. And our community created a grassroots movement that nearly took down an entrenched incumbent.

Today, my family is whole. But my family, like millions of others, is now facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt despite doing what's right and having insurance. Worse, we still have an incumbent that dismisses the pain facing our families and votes against our healthcare year after year. That's why our fight continues. And I will continue to fight until our district's voices are heard and represented in Congress, until the difficulties that everyday families have to endure are recognized and addressed.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

We need qualified individuals with real-world experience, representatives that share the values and experiences of their constituents; they should have faced the struggles of everyday people. I have the experience to bring real-world solutions to the role. From leading operations to building efficiency and managing large, diverse teams, I've developed solutions that account for and consider all voices and concerns. In fact, I was named to FOLIO's "40 Under 40" list for leadership with East West magazine and the ability to eloquently promote and support a multicultural America.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

One of the greatest challenges we face as Americans is addressing the systematic racial, social and wealth inequities in our country.

I'll prioritize legislation that empowers our citizens to restore and secure justice and accountability in all aspects of life, including policing, housing, voting rights, education, banking and employment.

We must ensure fair policing; promote affordable housing and end redlining; secure voting rights by enacting automatic voter registration and mail-in voting; close the funding gap in majority-minority school districts; eliminate the wage gap; expand resources and tax credits for first-time homebuyers and entrepreneurs; uphold fair banking and loan policy practices and prevent discrimination and harrassment in the workplace.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe that term limits play a vital role in ensuring our democratic traditions only if they're reinforced with strong campaign finance reform. This ensures incumbents spend their time in office to work for their constituents instead of fundraising for reelection.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

There isn't one story or struggle that stands out because I hear too many during this painful time. The gaps in government action are undeniable and deeply troubling. Just yesterday, I tried to help three individuals in our district who are still, months later, waiting for unemployment. There have also been small businesses that never got PPP funding and the sole proprietors whose businesses are completely destroyed. There are heartbreaking stories of entire families diagnosed with COVID-19 and the loss of loved ones. The grocery store clerk worried because a co-worker was diagnosed and the bank teller who just wants people to wear masks for her safety and her family. Each story of fear and pain is equally important, each driving me to fight harder, each driving the movement for change.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys

Anita Malik participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on August 2, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Anita Malik's responses follow below.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

“

Economy I support initiatives that directly benefit our nation’s families through investments in education, health care and infrastructure so that we can modernize our nation’s economy. We must make smart investments to fuel the economy. This includes infrastructure, higher education, a livable wage, family-friendly workplaces and healthcare. Social safety nets such as paid family leave and guaranteed paid sick leave have proven to increase productivity and fuel economic growth. At the same time, we must modernize our trade deals to ensure their fairness to the American people and our small businesses, not large multinational corporations. Our trade agreements should not encourage the concentration of economic and political power into the hands of few. Health Care Our goal should be universal coverage that puts patient care and healthcare worker safety above insurance and pharmaceutical company profits. I would support and cosign Medicare for All legislation. In the meantime, we must also work to create a solid, healthy and efficient foundation for which to build a better system. We must immediately allow insurance providers to sell across state lines and allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. We must quickly introduce a public option to bring more competition to markets. We can slash administrative costs by combining administrative aspects of our current single-payer styled systems like Medicare, the VA and CHIP. We can find additional savings and efficiency by introducing blockchain technologies to our digitized health records making them more secure, more reliable and saving money on wasted time, lost productivity and security breaches. Ending Corruption and Ensuring Free and Fair Elections I strongly stand against corporate influence over our Democracy and our party. I believe we must always put people over profits, which is why I do not accept corporate PAC money. This means no money from the pharmaceutical industry, the gun lobby, the oil, gas or coal lobbies, or any other corporate special interest group. I will fight without fear of political repercussions to end Citizens United, for campaign finance reform and for transparency. At the same time, we must take measures to protect our elections from foreign interference, while also ensuring elections remain transparent. We must secure our voting booths through encryption and blockchain technology, along with paper ballots; we must protect and expand voting rights so no American is left voiceless; and we must work toward bringing an end to corruption and corporate influence over our politicians and our government.

”

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

“

I am passionate about human rights, women’s rights, and small business and technology.

”

Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Anita Malik answered the following:

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow and why?

“

Although there are politicians I respect, the people I admire the most are the ones that do the right thing day in and day out without asking for anything in return. I admire our veterans for sacrificing their lives to preserve and protect our nation, our rights, and our Constitution; our emergency responders who continue to risk their lives to save their fellow members of the community during times of crisis; our teachers who work tirelessly to educate the future of this nation while confronting insufficient resources in their schools and threats of gun violence; and our health care workers who are exceptional in their abilities but are stuck within an outdated, inefficient, and bureaucratic health care system that restricts their ability to provide affordable and effective care to every American regardless of their economic status. I admire the people of this district, because they’ve given me faith and hope throughout my life, and they deserve to be properly represented.

”

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

“

Elected officials must lead by listening. They have forgotten our families and do nothing to tackle the economic inequality we are facing as a country. They have broken the American Dream, the opportunity so many came here for, including my parents. I want to see representatives who represent their constituents in office. And I want to put a stop to the hate. The color of our skin, our gender, our sexual orientation, our religious preference … these should not be political issues.

”

What qualities do you possess that would make you a successful officeholder?

“

Throughout my career, I have worked to bring policy changes in the private sector across Arizona. As a woman in tech and in startups, I have often had to lead the way fighting for other women and minorities. Additionally, as a leader in minority media, I am adept at spreading the message of change for optimal impact. I know how to tell the stories that inform and shape effective policies in the workplace. I have worked in private companies to ensure women have an equal voice at the table, equal pay, fair maternity policies, and I have developed forward-thinking sick child policies for working moms. These same policies are what we now must legislate at the federal level. We must take the proven examples in our small businesses and the proven leadership to bring nationwide change for all.

”

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

“

To improve my constituents' lives by working toward better economic opportunities, safer communities, and healthier families. To listen to and to work with my constituents to achieve these goals.

”

What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?

“

My kids of course. But also, their toys. Those colorful piles of happiness make our house truly a home. Toys, even when strewn about, always make me smile.

”

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

“

I believe that we need qualified individuals with real-world experience; representatives should share the values and experiences of their constituents. They should have confronted the struggles of everyday people, obstacles that are not exclusive to the political class in Washington. I have never run for political office. Instead, I have the experience to bring real-world solutions to the role. From leading operations, to building efficiency and managing large, diverse teams, I know how to develop solutions that account for and consider all voices and all concerns. In fact, I was named to FOLIO’s “40 Under 40” list for leadership with East West magazine and the ability to eloquently promote and support a multicultural America.

”

What are your thoughts on term limits?

“

I believe that term limits will play a vital role in ensuring our democratic traditions only if they’re reinforced with campaign finance reform. This ensures that candidates are spending their time in office to work for their constituents instead of fundraising for the duration of their time in office. I strongly stand against corporate influence over our Democracy and our party. I believe we must always put people over profits, which is why I do not accept corporate PAC money. This means no money from the pharmaceutical industry, the gun lobby, the oil, gas or coal lobbies, or any other corporate special interest group. I will fight without fear of political repercussions to end Citizens United, for campaign finance reform, for transparency and to ensure our representatives don’t spend the majority of their time making calls to donors when they should be focused on legislation. Only when we address our broken campaign finance system will we be able to address our most pressing issues: healthcare, innovative job growth, education, the environment, gun violence and the opioid crisis.

”

See also

2020 Elections

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External links

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Footnotes

[show]

Arizona's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ruben Gallego (D)

Mark Kelly (D)

Representatives

District 1

David Schweikert (R)

District 2

Eli Crane (R)

District 3

Yassamin Ansari (D)

District 4

Greg Stanton (D)

District 5

Andy Biggs (R)

District 6

Juan Ciscomani (R)

District 7

Adelita Grijalva (D)

District 8

Abraham Hamadeh (R)

District 9

Paul Gosar (R)

Republican Party (6)

Democratic Party (5)

Capital: Phoenix

Arizona

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