(Image source from: Indiawest.com)
An Indian American tech executive Anita Malik has won the Democratic party primary in Arizona's 6th congressional district.
She is the 11th Indian American to win the nomination of one of the two major parties in the midterm elections. All but one are Democrats.
Malik will face GOP or Republican Party Representative David Schweikert, who won the Republican primary unopposed, on November 6.
Arizona primary held last Tuesday, but the 6th district race was too close to call on the election night, with Malik leading her closest rival Heather Ross by a narrow margin of 383 votes.
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But, as the absentee ballots were counted and certified, the Indian American's lead grew to 2,402, according to the official results posted on the Maricopa County Recorder website.
Malik was declared the winner on Friday, who quit her job as the chief operating officer of the tech startup ClearVoice to run for Congress,
According to the official tally, Malik received 22,522 (42.04 percent) votes, while Ross received 20,120 (37.55 percent) votes.
"I am proud that my campaign reflected a broad, grassroots coalition of Arizonans who came together to support our vision of creating jobs and ensuring the ability of families to work, live, and thrive in the 6th congressional district," Malik said in a statement posted on her Twitter account Friday.
"Arizonans deserve someone who will work hard to represent them and build a stronger future for our community, our state, and our country," she added. "As the daughter of immigrants - people who believed in the promise of American - I want to help everyone have that opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families."
Malik is the second Indian Democrat from Arizona to be on the ballot in November. Last Tuesday, fellow Democrat Hiral Tipirneni had won the second congressional district primary unopposed.
As soon as her triumph was proclaimed, Malik rapidly went on the general election campaign mode. Focusing on corruption, which is probably to be a major midterm issue, she tweeted: "Indictments, corruption, and ethical violations are the norm in today's Congress. I'll fight to root out corruption and enact higher ethical standards, starting with our own district."
Indictments, corruption, and ethical violations are the norm in today's Congress. I'll fight to root out corruption and enact higher ethical standards, starting with our own district. #AZ06 #AnitaNewRep https://t.co/olk1WYJuyo
— Anita Malik (@AnitaMalik) September 2, 2018
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Malik's family moved to Arizona when she was 7. She graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with degrees in computer information systems and finance.
She also has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California.
By Sowmya Sangam
