There are four Democrats vying in the Aug. 4 Primary Election for the opportunity to face incumbent Republican U.S. Representative David Schweikert in the Sixth Congressional District for Arizona in the November General Election.

The four Democrat candidates include Karl Gentles, Anita Malik, Stephanie Rimmer and Dr. Hiral Tipirneni.

Karl Gentles

Karl Gentles grew up in an Air Force family, and spent his childhood moving every four years or so before moving to Arizona in 1984. He earned his degree in Organizational Communication and MBA from Arizona State University, and continuing education in nonprofit management and social enterprise at Georgetown University and INSEAD in Fountainbeau, France.

Gentles is currently a partner at The Gentles Agency, a brand strategy, event production and strategic communications agency, which he co-owns with his wife, Carla Gentles.

He is a longtime supporter of Democrats and Democratic campaigns, from interning on former Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt’s presidential campaign to running city council campaigns and supporting President Obama. He also served as a staff assistant for Senator John McCain in 1989. Gentles credits the Senator for showing him that politics is less about ideology and party and more about building coalitions and doing what is right regardless of those factors.

Anita Malik

The daughter of immigrants from India, Anita Malik was born in Kansas City, Mo. When she was seven, her family moved to Arizona. She says her father, a mechanical and computer engineer, instilled in her the importance of leading with empathy and listening; her mother, a stay-at-home mom with a passion for the arts, taught her to appreciate the journey.

Malik graduated summa cum laude with degrees in both computer information systems and finance from Arizona State University. She later earned her master’s in journalism from the University of Southern California.

Malik stepped down from her role as chief operating officer of a technology company to run for the 2018 U.S. House of Representatives for Arizona’s Sixth District. She said she believes there is an urgent need for proactive tech leadership in D.C.

Malik is a longtime resident of District 6. She attended Scottsdale schools. Today, she is raising her own family here.

Stephanie Rimmer

Stephanie Rimmer says for nearly 25 years she has worked to promote positive change in Arizona.

A small business owner, she co-owns Rimmer Lighting LLC with her husband, John. Rimmer Lighting represents more than 50 American lighting manufacturers, promoting the exportation of American manufactured fixtures.

As the granddaughter of WWII veterans with a long family history of union membership, Rimmer said her roots began in public service. She said she and her husband, John, instill the values of hard work, fairness, and honesty in their four daughters. With her business background and track record of consensus building, Rimmer is running to represent Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District. She plans to promote the exportation of “made in America” goods, and build more jobs in Arizona.

“It’s time to have a public servant in Congress to tackle the issues that we advocate for every day but have been overlooked by Congress for decades,” Rimmer said.

Hiral Tipirneni

Dr. Hiral Tipirneni has served the Phoenix area for more than 20 years as an emergency room physician, cancer research advocate and, most recently, on the board of directors of the Maricopa Health Foundation, which supports the county’s public health care delivery system.

Tipirneni came with her parents from India at the age of three. Following a childhood illness, she was inspired to learn more about medicine and, after graduating from public school, she eventually earned her medical degree through an accelerated, competitive program at Northeast Ohio Medical University.

Tipirneni is running for Congress to take on Washington insiders and continue using her problem-solving, team-oriented approach to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to get the results we need.

She has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood, the League of Conservation Voters, the American Federation of Teachers, the Human Rights Campaign, End Citizens United, 314 Action, and the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence