Two Arizona Democrats who made a splash last year by battling — but losing — in usually safe Republican areas of the Valley are considering running next year against five-term incumbent U.S. Rep. David Schweikert.

Hiral Tipirneni, the physician and cancer-research advocate who added unusual drama to an April 2018 special election in the northwest Valley-based 8th Congressional District, is considering running in the Scottsdale-based 6th Congressional District.

So, too, is Anita Malik, a self-employed businesswoman, who lives in that northeast Valley district and lost to Schweikert, R-Ariz., in November.

"I'm seriously considering it," Tipirneni said Thursday. "I still feel like I have a voice to contribute. I don't feel like I'm done with the efforts I've put forth."

Malik also appears on the verge of running a second time.

"If you had to characterize it, I'm most likely in," Malik said. "We're going through the check-boxes, but we're pretty close."

For her part, Malik said Tipirneni texted her weeks ago to say she has already decided to run, a move that doesn't sit well with Malik.

"In a lot of ways, it's very disappointing," Malik said. "We were never besties. We're friendly. I have great respect for her. ... Not being from the district, it does concern me."

The two women of Indian descent now could find themselves rivals in a Democratic primary.

Democrats see Schweikert's GOP-leaning district as an opportunity to add to their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

That's in part to the still-unresolved House Ethics Committee investigation of Schweikert involving allegations of campaign misspending.

Schweikert's district spans the northeast Valley, including Scottsdale. Its base of suburban, relatively educated and affluent voters is a group that has reliably voted for Republicans in years past, but involves the same demographic mix where Democrats have made gains in the era of President Donald Trump.

Chris Baker, a Schweikert campaign consultant, said both Democrats are making mistakes.

"If Hiral Tipirneni wants to take a third loss in CD 6, we are more than happy to accommodate her," he said. "A Democrat is not going to win CD 6." Malik, Baker said, wasn’t a bad candidate, but could not win in a conservative district.

He predicted the ethics case against Schweikert would not hurt his chances because it really revolves around the mistakes of Schweikert‘s former chief of staff.

Tipirneni lost April's 8th district special election to now-U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz. by 4.7 percentage points. It was a surprisingly close result in a district where Republicans enjoyed a 17-percentage point registration advantage and in an area where Democrats haven't won a congressional race since 1980.

She ran against Lesko again in November, but, with turnout nearly double that of the special election, Tipirneni lost by 10.9 percentage points.

Malik narrowly won the Democratic primary in August. She attacked Schweikert by claiming he had ethical lapses and that GOP policies had left too many in the district behind.

She largely suspended her campaign in the final weeks as her husband battled a brain illness. Malik lost in November by 10.4 percentage points.

Malik said her husband is doing "remarkably well" and said that is a factor in her political future.

Tipirneni said she considered running for the U.S. Senate as well, but sees another House race as likely more appropriate. She said she has been approached by national organizations and donors urging her to challenge Schweikert.

Tipirneni said her residence is not far from the 6th-district boundary and she doesn't "want to insult CD 6 voters" by quickly moving into an area she knows well and lives near already.

Republic reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez contributed to this report.