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{{Short description|American politician and gun control activist (born 1970)}}
{{Refimprove|date=October 2009}}
{{for|the U.S. Navy vessel|USS Gabrielle Giffords{{!}}USS ''Gabrielle Giffords''}}
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{{Use American English|date = April 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder {{Infobox officeholder
| name = Gabby Giffords
|honorific-prefix = <small>]</small><br/>
| image = Joe Biden presents the Medal of Freedom to Gabby Giffords (52308218001) (cropped).jpg
|name= Gabrielle Giffords
| caption = Giffords in 2022
|image= Gabrielle giffords 2009.jpg
| state = ]
|width=
| district = {{ushr|AZ|8|8th}}
|state= ]
| term_start = January 3, 2007
|district= ]
| term_end = January 25, 2012
|party= ]
| predecessor = ]
|term_start = January 3, 2007
|preceded= ] | successor = ]
| state_senate1 = Arizona
|succeeded= ]
|office2=] | district1 = ]
| term_start1 = January 8, 2003
|term_start2=2003
| term_end1 = December 1, 2005
|term_end2=2005
| predecessor1 = ]
|office3=Member of the<BR>]
| successor1 = ]
|term_start3=2001
| state_house2 = Arizona
|term_end3=2003
| district2 = ]
|date of birth= {{birth date and age|1970|06|08}}
| term_start2 = January 1, 2001
|place of birth= ], ]
| term_end2 = January 8, 2003
|alma_mater= ] <small>(])</small><br>] <small>(])</small>
| predecessor2 = ]
|residence=Tucson
| successor2 = ]
|spouse=]
| birth_name = Gabrielle Dee Giffords
|religion=]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|6|8}}
|profession=Politician; businesswoman
| birth_place = ], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = ] (since 2000)
| spouse = {{marriage|]|2007}}
| children =
| relatives = ], ] (second cousins)
| education = ] (])<br />] (])
| awards = ] ] (2022)
| signature = Gabrielle Giffords signature 2009.png
| signature_alt = Gabrielle Giffords
| otherparty = ] (1988–2000)
| module = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Rep. Gabby Giffords on the Arizona HIDTA Task Force.ogg|title=Gabby Giffords's voice|type=speech|description=Giffords honors the work of the Arizona ] task force<br/>Recorded April 21, 2010}}
}} }}
'''Gabrielle Giffords''' (born June 8, 1970) is a ] ] from ], ]. She is congresswoman for {{ushr|Arizona|8|}}. Giffords is the youngest woman ever to be elected to the ], where she served from 2003 to 2005. She is the only member of the U.S. Congress who is a spouse of an active duty member of the US military.<ref>http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/biography/</ref>


Giffords was first sworn in as a member of the ] on January 3, 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to serve in the U.S. Congress. '''Gabrielle Dee Giffords''' (born June 8, 1970) is an American retired politician and ] activist. She served as a member of the ] representing {{ushr|Arizona|8}} from January 2007 until January 2012, when she resigned because of a severe brain injury suffered during ]. A member of the ], she was the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress.


Born and raised in ], Giffords graduated from ] and ]. After initially moving to New York City, where she worked in regional economic development for ], she returned to Arizona to work as the ] of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a family business started by her grandfather. She served in the ] from 2001 until 2003 and the ] from 2003 until 2005 when she was elected to the U.S. House.
She is a member of the ] and the ].


She had just begun her third term in January 2011 when she was shot in the head in an ] and mass shooting just outside of Tucson during an event with ]. Giffords has since recovered much of her ability to walk, speak, read, and write. She was greeted by a standing ovation upon her return to the House floor in August 2011. She attended President Obama's ] on January 24, 2012, and appeared on the ] of the House the following day, at which time she formally submitted her resignation, receiving a standing ovation and accolades from her colleagues and the leadership of the House.
==Early life and education==
Giffords was born in ], ], and graduated from Tucson's ].


Though a ] on the issue during her time in Congress, Giffords has since become an ardent advocate for gun control. In January 2013, she and her husband launched ], a non-profit organization and ] which later joined with the ] to become the organization ]. She is married to former ] Commander ], who is the junior ] from Arizona.
She received a ] in Sociology and Latin American history from ] in ], ], in 1993, and a ] from ] in ], ], in 1996. She focused her studies on ] while at Cornell.


==Early life and education ==
Giffords was a ] in ], in 1996 and a fellow at ]'s ].
Gabrielle Dee Giffords was born on June 8, 1970 and grew up in ];<ref>{{CongLinks | congbio=g000554 }}</ref> her parents were Gloria Kay (née Fraser) and Spencer J. Giffords. She was raised in a mixed religious environment, as her mother was a ] and her father was Jewish. Her paternal grandfather, Akiba Hornstein, was a Jewish emigrant from ] who changed his name to Giffords to avoid ].<ref name="Tucson roots">{{cite news |last1=Stolbert |first1=Sheryl Gay |last2=Yardley |first2=William |title=For Giffords, Tucson Roots Shaped Views |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/15/us/15profile.html |work=] |date=January 15, 2011 |access-date=February 24, 2017 |archive-date=March 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321073442/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/15/us/15profile.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Through her father, Giffords is a second cousin of actress ] and director ].<ref name=Paltrow>{{cite web |title=Congresswoman Gifford's Hollywood Connection to Paltrows |url=http://www.showbiz411.com/2011/01/09/congresswoman-giffords-hollywood-connection-to-paltrows |url-status=live |date=January 9, 2011 |access-date=January 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308055440/http://www.showbiz411.com/2011/01/09/congresswoman-giffords-hollywood-connection-to-paltrows |archive-date=March 8, 2013|quote=Gabrielle Giffords' grandmother and Gwyneth Paltrow's late grandfather were brother and sister.}}</ref>


Giffords graduated from Tucson's ]. She is a former ]. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and ] from ] in California in 1993;<ref name="house2">{{cite web |url=http://giffords.house.gov/about/ |title=Biography |access-date=January 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106092033/http://giffords.house.gov/about/ |archive-date=January 6, 2011}}</ref> and spent a year as a ] in ], Mexico.<ref>{{cite web |title="Many prayers are interceding for your recovery" &#124; Scripps College Alumna Gabrielle Giffords |url=http://community.scrippscollege.edu/gabrielle/fact-sheet/M/ |publisher=Community.scrippscollege.edu |access-date=January 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707234609/http://community.scrippscollege.edu/gabrielle/fact-sheet/M/ |archive-date=July 7, 2012}}</ref> She returned to graduate school, earning a ] from ] in 1996. She focused her studies on ].<ref name="house2" />
==Career in business and with the Arizona Legislature==
{{Refimprove|date=August 2009}}
Giffords worked as an associate for regional economic development at ] in New York City.


In 1996, she became president and CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses. El Campo was a local automotive chain founded by her grandfather. In 2000, she oversaw the sale of the company to ]. At the time of the sale she commented on the difficulties local businesses face when competing against large national firms. Giffords said "I’m really proud of being able to return to Arizona and help my family and take over a tire business that had serious challenges."<ref>{{cite web Giffords worked as an associate for regional economic development at ] in New York City. In 1996, she became president and CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a local chain of ] founded by her grandfather. The business was sold to ] in 2000. At the time of the sale, she commented on the difficulties local businesses face when competing against large national firms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/08/17/giffords-lombardi-picked-as-top-young-leaders/ |title=Giffords campaign website |access-date=May 8, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070421130424/http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/08/17/giffords-lombardi-picked-as-top-young-leaders/<!-- Bot-retrieved archive --> |archive-date=April 21, 2007}}</ref>
|url=http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/08/17/giffords-lombardi-picked-as-top-young-leaders/
|title=Gifford's campaign website
|accessdate = 2007-05-08}}</ref>


Since 2001, she has practiced Judaism exclusively and belongs to Congregation Chaverim, a ] synagogue, in Tucson.<ref name="arutz">{{cite web |last=Ya'ar |first=Chana |title=Jewish US Lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords Shot, Prognosis Optimistic |date=January 8, 2011 |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/141607 |publisher=Arutz Sheva Israel National News |access-date=January 9, 2011 |archive-date=January 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110220536/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/141607 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="JJGLA">{{cite news |last=Kampeas |first=Ron |title=Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot in the head |work=The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles (JTA) |date=January 8, 2011 |url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/nation/article/arizona_congresswoman_gabrielle_giffords_shot_in_the_head_20110108/ |access-date=January 9, 2011 |archive-date=January 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110020847/http://www.jewishjournal.com/nation/article/arizona_congresswoman_gabrielle_giffords_shot_in_the_head_20110108/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
Giffords is the managing partner at Giffords Capital Management, a property management company based in Tucson.


==Arizona legislature==
Giffords began her political career as a legislator in the ], where she served from 2001 to 2003.


===Elections===
Giffords was elected to the ] in the fall of 2002 and is the youngest woman ever elected to this body. She took office in January 2003 and was re-elected in 2004. She resigned from the Arizona Senate on December 1, 2005, in preparation for her congressional campaign.
Giffords switched her party affiliation from Republican to Democratic in 2000 and was elected to the ] in 2001.<ref name="Former Republican">{{cite web|url=https://www.troyrecord.com/news/profile-rep-gabrielle-giffords-dem-who-wins-in-conservative-district/article_543cdc3c-7f08-5bb1-8b27-2f432e22d7cf.html|title=PROFILE: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords: Dem who wins in conservative district|first=Bob|last=Christie|website=The Record|date=January 8, 2011|access-date=April 21, 2020|archive-date=November 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103034713/https://www.troyrecord.com/news/profile-rep-gabrielle-giffords-dem-who-wins-in-conservative-district/article_543cdc3c-7f08-5bb1-8b27-2f432e22d7cf.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She was elected to the ] in the fall of 2002, at the time the youngest woman elected to that body. She took office in January 2003 and was re-elected in 2004. She resigned from the Arizona Senate on December 1, 2005, in preparation for her congressional campaign.


===Tenure===
In early 2005, Giffords said of the Arizona Legislature: "The previous two legislatures enjoyed the benefits of a working coalition consisting of Democrats and middle-of-the-road Republicans. Due to a lack of competitive legislative districts and low voter turnout during GOP primaries, a fairly large crop of mostly conservative Republicans will dominate the House and Senate in 2005." Giffords' concerns played out as an increasingly conservative legislature combined with a Democratic governor, led to increased polarity in Arizona politics.
In early 2005, Giffords observed that "the 2004 election took its toll on our bipartisan coalition" and that as a result "a number of significant problems will receive far less attention than they deserve." She highlighted among these, the lack of high-paying jobs or necessary infrastructure, rapid growth, and inward migration that threatened the environment and "strain&nbsp;... education, health care, and transportation", and unresolved problems such as Students First; ''Arnold v. Sarn''; repayments due under ''Ladewig v. Arizona''; the ] mandate; low educational achievement; health care costs; and the demands of the ]. She said that Arizona was not alone in facing such challenges.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/01/10/guest-opinion-right-wing-agenda-will-obscure-our-most-pressing-issues/ |title=Right-Wing Agenda Will Obscure our Most-Pressing Issues |work=] (republished on candidate's web site) |date=January 10, 2006 |access-date=November 12, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109013756/http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/01/10/guest-opinion-right-wing-agenda-will-obscure-our-most-pressing-issues/<!-- Bot-retrieved archive --> |archive-date=November 9, 2006}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/01/10/guest-opinion-right-wing-agenda-will-obscure-our-most-pressing-issues/
|title=Right-Wing Agenda Will Obscure our Most-Pressing Issues
|publisher=Tucson Citizen (republished on candidate's web site) |date=January 10, 2006
|accessdate = 2006-11-12}}</ref>


Expanding health care access was an issue of interest for Giffords when she served in the legislature. She also push for bills related to mental health and was named by the Mental Health Association of Arizona as the 2004 Legislator of the Year. Giffords also earned the ]'s Most Valuable Player award. Expanding health care access was an issue pursued by Giffords when she served in the legislature. She also pushed for bills related to mental health and was named by the Mental Health Association of Arizona as the 2004 Legislator of the Year. Giffords earned the ]'s Most Valuable Player award.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/06/12/flunkies-the-sierra-club-grades-the-arizona-legislature/ |title=Flunkies&nbsp;– The Sierra Club grades the Arizona Legislature |publisher=Candidate's web site |date=June 12, 2006 |access-date=November 12, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109013355/http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/06/12/flunkies-the-sierra-club-grades-the-arizona-legislature/<!-- Bot-retrieved archive --> |archive-date=November 9, 2006}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/06/12/flunkies-the-sierra-club-grades-the-arizona-legislature/
|title=Flunkies — The Sierra Club grades the Arizona Legislature
|publisher=Candidate's web site |date=June 12, 2006
|accessdate = 2006-11-12}}</ref>


In the legislature, Giffords worked on the bipartisan Children’s Caucus, which sought to improve education and health care for Arizona’s children. Critics of this plan argued that it amounted to taxpayer funded daycare. She worked with Arizona's Governor Janet Napolitano to promote all-day kindergarten. Giffords supported raising more money for schools "through sponsorship of supplemental state aid through bonds and tax credits that could be used for school supplies." She was awarded Arizona Family Literacy’s Outstanding Legislator for 2003. In the legislature, Giffords worked on the bipartisan Children's Caucus, which sought to improve education and health care for Arizona's children. Critics of this plan argued that it amounted to taxpayer-funded daycare. She worked with Arizona Governor ] to promote all-day kindergarten. Giffords supported raising more money for schools "through sponsorship of supplemental state aid through bonds and tax credits that could be used for school supplies." She was awarded Arizona Family Literacy's Outstanding Legislator for 2003.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/issues/education/#trackrecord/ |title=Track Record |publisher=Candidate's web site |date=June 12, 2006 |access-date=November 12, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109005935/http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/issues/education/ |archive-date=November 9, 2006}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/issues/education/#trackrecord/
|title=Track Record
|publisher=Candidate's web site |date=June 12, 2006
|accessdate = 2006-11-12}}</ref>


==U.S. House of Representatives==
==Congressional career==
]
{{Refimprove|date=August 2009}}
]
In her inaugural speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, Giffords said a comprehensive immigration reform package needs to include modern technology to secure the border, more border patrol agents, tough employer sanctions for businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants, and a guest-worker program. In her first month in office, Congresswoman Giffords voted to support increased federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, raising the minimum wage, endorsing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, and supporting new rules for the House of Representative targeting ethical issues. Giffords also voted to repeal subsidies to big oil companies and invest the savings in renewable energy. "We put our national security at risk by relying on oil from unstable regimes in the ] and ]," Giffords told her colleagues in a speech on the House floor during debate on the Clean Energy Act. The act repeals $14 billion in subsidies given to oil companies and establishes a Strategic Renewable Energy Reserve to increase research in clean renewable energy, to develop greater energy efficiency, and to improve energy conservation.


===Elections===
During the 2007 session of Congress, Giffords introduced a bill (H.R. 1441)<ref> Library of Congress. Retrieved 2008-03-09</ref> that forbids the sale of F-14 aircraft parts on the open market.<ref> Aero-News.net, June 13, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-09</ref> She also voted for the contentious ], saying, "I cannot, in good conscience, allow the military to run out of money while American servicemen and women are being attacked every day".<ref> '']'' June 5, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-09</ref>
;2006
{{see also|2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election}}
Giffords launched her first candidacy for the U.S.&nbsp;Congress on January 24, 2006. The campaign received national attention early on as the seat was considered a likely pick-up for the Democratic Party. Prominent Democrats, including ], ], Janet Napolitano, and ], endorsed her. ] endorsed Giffords early in the campaign cycle.<ref>{{cite news |title=EMILY's List Announces Endorsement of Gabrielle Giffords for Arizona's 8th Congressional District |url=http://www.emilyslist.org/newsroom/releases/20060614a.html |publisher=Emily's List |date=June 14, 2006 |access-date=November 9, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108223950/http://www.emilyslist.org/newsroom/releases/20060614a.html<!-- Bot-retrieved archive --> |archive-date=November 8, 2006}}</ref> The Sierra Club and the Arizona Education Association also endorsed her.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2006/06/12/daily21.html |title=Democratic contender gets support in House race |work=Phoenix Business Journal |date=June 13, 2006 |access-date=November 9, 2006 |first=Mike |last=Sunnucks |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215014337/https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2006/06/12/daily21.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On September 12, 2006, Giffords won her party's nomination in the primary election.


Her Republican opponent in the general election was ], a conservative former state senator known for his enforcement-only position on immigration and ]. Graf had run against ] in the 2004&nbsp;GOP primary and had announced his candidacy in 2006 before Kolbe announced his retirement. The Republican establishment was somewhat cool toward Graf, believing he might be too conservative for the district. The national GOP took the unusual step of endorsing one of the more moderate candidates in the primary. Graf won anyway, helped by a split in the Republican moderate vote between two candidates.
===Committee assignments===
*''']'''
**]
**]
*''']'''
**]
*''']'''
**]
**] (Chairwoman)


Not long after the primary, '']'' changed its rating of the race to "Leans Democrat". By late September, the national GOP had pulled most of its funding, effectively conceding the seat to Giffords. Giffords won the race on November 7, 2006, with 54 percent of the vote. Graf received 42 percent. The rest of the vote went to minor candidates. Giffords's victory was portrayed as evidence that Americans are accepting towards comprehensive immigration reform.<ref>{{cite news |title=Voters reject immigrant-bashing among candidates |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/15994756.htm |work=] |date=November 12, 2006 |access-date=November 12, 2006}}{{dead link|date=January 2011}}</ref> She was the first ] woman elected to Congress from Arizona.<ref name="JTA">{{cite news |last=Gelbart |first=Debra Morton |title=Jewish woman takes Arizona seat |publisher=] |date=November 30, 1999 |url=http://www.jta.org/news/article/1999/11/30/14643 |access-date=October 25, 2012 |archive-date=September 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924101925/http://www.jta.org/news/article/1999/11/30/14643 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bloodshed Puts New Focus on Vitriol in Politics |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us/politics/09capital.html |work=The New York Times |quote=Ms. Giffords is the first Jewish woman elected to the House from her state. |last1=Hulse |first1=Carl |last2=Zernike |first2=Kate |date=January 8, 2011 |access-date=January 9, 2011 |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125024701/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us/politics/09capital.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
===Political positions===
====Abortion====
Giffords is pro-choice. She has a 100% rating from NARAL. She opposes the ] restricting federal funding for elective abortions.<ref>http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_detail.php?r_id=3920</ref>


;2008
====Economic policy====
{{see also|2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona#District 8}}
Giffords voted for ].<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-10-03-2053602361_x.htm</ref>
In 2008, Giffords was elected to a second term. Republican ], a childhood classmate and former colleague in the Arizona State Senate, ran against her. Bee was the President of the ] and considered a strong challenger in this race. Despite native son ]'s running as the Republican presidential candidate, Giffords was reelected with 56.20 percent of the vote to Bee's 41.45 percent.<ref name="PimaGov-20101110">{{cite web |url=http://www.pima.gov/elections/results.htm |title=Election Summary Report |publisher=] |date=November 10, 2010 |access-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-date=April 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110419235459/http://www.pima.gov/elections/results.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>


;2010
Giffords voted for ].<ref>http://giffords.house.gov/2009/02/stimulus-bill-deserved-my-vote.shtml</ref>
]
{{see also|2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona#District 8}}
On November 5, 2010, Giffords was declared the victor after a close race against Republican Jesse Kelly.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles/2010/11/05/20101105arizona-elections-gabrielle-giffords-elected.html |title=Gabrielle Giffords wins re-election in Arizona |publisher=AZCentral.com |date=November 5, 2010 |access-date=November 6, 2010 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215014340/https://help.azcentral.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Kelly, an ] veteran (and not related to Mark Kelly), was listed as a top-ten ] candidate to watch by '']'', and described by '']'' as highly conservative even compared to ].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/09/21/20100921-tea-party-candidates-to-watch-politico-prog.html?page=2#ixzz11vdFO15S |title=Top 10 "Tea Party' Candidates to Watch |publisher=AZCentral.com |date=September 21, 2010 |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215014340/https://help.azcentral.com/#ixzz11vdFO15S |url-status=live}}</ref> Giffords had been targeted for defeat by Sarah Palin's political action committee, ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Rowley |first=James |title=Giffords Is Centrist Who Defies Political Labels |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-10/giffords-is-centrist-who-defies-political-labels-correct-.html |access-date=January 11, 2011 |agency=] |date=January 10, 2011 |archive-date=August 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823140230/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-10/giffords-is-centrist-who-defies-political-labels-correct-.html |url-status=live}}</ref>


Giffords participated in the reading of the ] on the floor of the ] on January 6, 2011; she read the ].<ref name="HouseSession3985-2011-01-06" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://arizonaspolitics.blogspot.com/2011/01/watch-arizona-rep-gabrielle-giffords.html |title=WATCH: Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Read 1st Amendment On Floor |date=January 6, 2011 |publisher=Arizona's Politics |access-date=January 20, 2011 |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708023725/http://arizonaspolitics.blogspot.com/2011/01/watch-arizona-rep-gabrielle-giffords.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
====Education====
Giffords argues that Americans are competing on a global level and that this competition starts in the classroom. She is a critic of the ] law, viewing it as an unfunded federal mandate. She is a graduate of public schools and supports them with a variety of proposals to make them more effective.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}


===Tenure===
''Tucson Weekly'' noted a letter Giffords sent, on August 1, 2008, to congressional leaders regarding tax credits that were set to expire. She wrote "failure to extend the tax credits would deal a devastating blow to the U.S. renewable energy industry, just as it is beginning to take off."<ref>http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:114370</ref>
]
Following the ], Giffords was sworn in as a ] on January 3, 2007. She was the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to serve in the U.S.&nbsp;Congress. In her inaugural speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, Giffords advocated a comprehensive immigration reform package, including modern technology to secure the border, more border patrol agents, tough employer sanctions for businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants, and a guest-worker program.<ref name="inaug">{{cite web|url=http://giffords.house.gov/2007/01/rep-gabrielle-giffords-calls-for-secure-borders-immigration-reform-in-first-floor-speech-wraps-up-fi.shtml |title=REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS CALLS FOR SECURE BORDERS, IMMIGRATION REFORM IN FIRST FLOOR SPEECH; WRAPS UP FIRST FULL WEEK AS A MEMBER OF THE 110th CONGRESS |date=January 12, 2007 |publisher=] |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116121608/http://giffords.house.gov/2007/01/rep-gabrielle-giffords-calls-for-secure-borders-immigration-reform-in-first-floor-speech-wraps-up-fi.shtml |archive-date=January 16, 2011}}</ref> In her first month in office, Giffords voted in favor of increased federal funding for ];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://giffords.house.gov/2007/01/rep-gabrielle-giffords-votes-to-expand-federal-funding-for-life-saving-stem-cell-research.shtml |title=REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS VOTES TO EXPAND FEDERAL FUNDING FOR LIFE-SAVING STEM CELL RESEARCH |date=January 11, 2007 |publisher=] |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116121709/http://giffords.house.gov/2007/01/rep-gabrielle-giffords-votes-to-expand-federal-funding-for-life-saving-stem-cell-research.shtml |archive-date=January 16, 2011}}</ref> raising the ];<ref name="100hours" /> endorsing the ] recommendations;<ref name="100hours" /> new rules for the House of Representatives targeting ethical issues;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://giffords.house.gov/2007/01/first-vote-of-110th-congress–-repgabrielle-giffordsvotes-to-reform-ethical-standards-in-washington.shtml |title=FIRST VOTE OF 110th CONGRESS&nbsp;– REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS VOTES TO REFORM ETHICAL STANDARDS IN WASHINGTON |date=January 4, 2007 |publisher=] |access-date=January 19, 2011}}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> and the repeal of $14&nbsp;billion of subsidies to big oil companies, in favor of ] subsidies and the founding of the Strategic Renewable Energy Reserve.<ref name="100hours">{{cite web|url=http://giffords.house.gov/2007/01/rep-gabrielle-giffords-wraps-up-the-100-hours-agenda-with-votes-to-make-us-energy-independent-and-co.shtml |title=REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS WRAPS UP THE "100 HOURS AGENDA" WITH VOTES TO MAKE U.S. ENERGY INDEPENDENT AND COLLEGE MORE AFFORDABLE |date=January 18, 2007 |publisher=] |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116121550/http://giffords.house.gov/2007/01/rep-gabrielle-giffords-wraps-up-the-100-hours-agenda-with-votes-to-make-us-energy-independent-and-co.shtml |archive-date=January 16, 2011}}</ref>


During the 2007 session of Congress, Giffords introduced a bill (H.R. 1441)<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116103703/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.01441: |date=January 16, 2016}} Library of Congress. Retrieved March 9, 2008.</ref> that forbids the sale of ] parts on the open market to prevent them from being acquired by ].<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234809/http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=89e79ecd-78d1-40b9-ad44-20e8f1d3c26b |date=September 26, 2007}} Aero-News Network, June 13, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2008.</ref> Giffords advocated for a ] for ]s as one of her first actions.<ref name="BBCProfile">{{cite news |title=Profile: Gabrielle Giffords |publisher=] |date=January 9, 2011 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12143984 |access-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-date=January 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111062057/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12143984 |url-status=live}}</ref> She voted for the contentious ], saying, "I cannot, in good conscience, allow the military to run out of money while American servicemen and women are being attacked every day".<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000023/http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/opinion/53618.php |date=September 27, 2007}} '']'' June 5, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2008.</ref> She has also been a ] supporter for many years. On April 21, 2007 (the same day Giffords hosted her third "Congress on Your Corner" in Tucson, Arizona) she also spoke at the Sahuaro Girl Scout Council Annual Meeting.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Tribute to Gabrielle Giffords From Tucson Girl Scouts |url=https://blog.girlscouts.org/2011/01/tribute-to-gabrielle-giffords-from.html |website=Girl Scout Blog |date=January 18, 2011 |access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to Host Third "Congress On Your Corner" |url=http://giffords.house.gov/2007/04/us-rep-gabrielle-giffords-to-host-third-congress-on-your-corner.shtml |website=Giffords.house.gov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100320094629/http://giffords.house.gov/2007/04/us-rep-gabrielle-giffords-to-host-third-congress-on-your-corner.shtml |archive-date=March 20, 2010}}</ref>
In September 2007 she released a report titled: ''The Community Solar Energy Initiative, Solar Energy in Southern Arizona''. The report states that Arizona has enough daily sunshine to power the entire United States. It reviews current energy usage and discusses how to increase the production of solar electricity.<ref>http://giffords.house.gov/Solar%20Energy%20in%20Southern%20Arizona%20Report_Exec%20Summary.pdf</ref>


In the ], Giffords was one of 18 Democrats to cast their vote for someone other than ] (the leader of the ]). Giffords cast her vote for Congressman ].<ref>''Congressional Record—House'', Vol. 157, Pt. 1, January 5, 2011, </ref> Arizona's two other Democratic House members voted for Pelosi. Giffords's spokesperson characterized her vote for Lewis, "signal<nowiki></nowiki> her desire for courageous leadership and high moral standards at a critical time in our nation’s history," citing Lewis as being, "one of our nation’s most prominent civil rights leaders and a hero to all Americans."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bodfield |first1=Rhonda |title=Pueblo Politics: Giffords Votes Against Pelosi |url=https://tucson.com/news/blogs/pueblo-politics/pueblo-politics-giffords-votes-against-pelosi/article_9d384460-190d-11e0-9498-001cc4c002e0.html |website=Arizona Daily Star |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=en |date=5 January 2011}}</ref>
====Gun Rights====
Giffords supports restrictions on gun ownership. She has a D+ rating from the NRA<ref>http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_detail.php?r_id=4229</ref> and a D- from the ].<ref>http://gunowners.org/111hrat.htm</ref>


Giffords was a member of the ] and the ]. She was a co-founder of the ]. Until her husband's retirement, she was the only member of the U.S.&nbsp;Congress whose spouse was an active duty member of the U.S. military. She is also known as a strong proponent of ] as well as for her work to secure the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://giffords.house.gov/2010/07/senate-rejects-border-funding-us-rep-giffords-is-outraged.shtml |title=Senate rejects border funding; U.S. Rep Giffords is outraged |publisher=] |date=July 26, 2010 |access-date=October 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007045630/http://giffords.house.gov/2010/07/senate-rejects-border-funding-us-rep-giffords-is-outraged.shtml |archive-date=October 7, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bensonnews-sun.com/articles/2008/12/31/news/news01.txt |title=Solar energy, immigration top congresswoman's priorities |work=San Pedro Valley News-Sun |date=December 30, 2008 |access-date=October 11, 2010 |archive-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112085508/http://www.bensonnews-sun.com/articles/2008/12/31/news/news01.txt |url-status=live}}</ref>
====Immigration and Border Security====
Arizona's 8th Congressional District is one of 10 in the country bordering ]. Giffords lived in Mexico as a Fulbright Scholar in the early 1990s. She has promoted immigration reform including a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants and supports stronger penalties against employers hiring illegal immigrants.


====Iraq and Afghanistan==== ===Committee assignments===
* ''']'''
Giffords is an opponent of the war in Iraq, and a proponent of strengthening American efforts in Afghanistan.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}
** ]
** ]
* ''']'''
** ] (Ranking Member)
** ]


==Attempted assassination==
====Outsourcing====
{{main|2011 Tucson shooting}}
In 2008, Giffords introduced legislation that would have increased the cap on the ] from 65,000 per year to 130,000 per year. If that was not sufficient, according to her legislation, the cap would have been increased to 180,000 per year.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.fairus.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=21715&security=1601&news_iv_ctrl=1721#1|title=With Unemployment Near Ten Percent, Giffords Seeks Importation of More Cheap Foreign Labor|publisher=FAIR|date=October 15, 2009|accessdate = 2009-10-26}}</ref> The H-1B visa is mainly used by outsourcing companies <ref>{{cite web
]
|url=http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=199601616
On January 8, 2011, Giffords was shot in the head<ref name="NYT_Grady_20110114" /> outside a ] grocery store in ], a suburban area northwest of Tucson, during her first "Congress on Your Corner" (a public opportunity for constituents to speak directly with their representatives)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://higgins.house.gov/services/congress-on-your-corner |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108220222/http://higgins.house.gov/services/congress-on-your-corner |archive-date=November 8, 2015 |title=Congress on Your Corner |publisher=Congressman Brian Higgins}}</ref> gathering of the year.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/01/us_prosecutors_charge_gunman_a.html |title=U.S. prosecutors charge gunman accused of assassination attempt on Arizona Rep. Giffords, killing 6 |agency=Associated Press |work=] |date=January 9, 2011 |access-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-date=January 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114154103/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/01/us_prosecutors_charge_gunman_a.html |url-status=live}}</ref> A man ran up to the crowd and began firing a ] with a ].<ref name="Bloomberg Businessweek">{{cite news |last=Barrett |first=Paul M. |title=Glock: America's Gun |url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_04/b4212052185280.htm|date=January 13, 2011 |work=Bloomberg Businessweek|publisher=]|access-date=November 17, 2017|archive-date=August 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821034718/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_04/b4212052185280.htm}}</ref><ref name="NPR-20110108">{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/01/08/132764367/congresswoman-shot-in-arizona |title=Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Shot in Arizona |publisher=] |date=January 8, 2011 |access-date=January 8, 2011 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215014340/https://www.npr.org/2011/01/10/132764367/congresswoman-shot-in-arizona |url-status=live}}</ref> The gunman hit 19 individuals with gunfire, killing six of them.<ref name="WP-victims">{{cite news |last1=Bell |first1=Melissa |last2=Buck |first2=James |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2011/01/arizona_shooting_victims_the_i.html |title=Updated: List of injured victims in Arizona shooting released by Pima County sheriff |newspaper=] |date=January 14, 2011 |access-date=January 14, 2011 |archive-date=October 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009173637/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2011/01/arizona_shooting_victims_the_i.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> Among the dead were federal judge ] and 9-year-old child Christina-Taylor Green. Green was the granddaughter of ] baseball manager and ] ].<ref name="AJC-20110108">{{cite news |last=Bookman |first=Jay |url=http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2011/01/08/arizona-congresswoman-shot-in-tucson/ |title=Federal judge wounded in AZ; congresswoman shot |newspaper=] |date=January 8, 2011 |access-date=January 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111073418/http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2011/01/08/arizona-congresswoman-shot-in-tucson/ |archive-date=January 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://usat.ly/1OEefAv |title=Family of Ariz. shooting victim at White House Tuesday |newspaper=]}}</ref><ref name="azcentral">{{cite news |url=https://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/01/08/20110108arizona-giffords-brk.html |title=Arizona Congresswoman Giffords shot in Tucson |work=The Arizona Republic |date=January 8, 2011 |access-date=February 18, 2020 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215014341/https://help.azcentral.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> A 20th person was injured at the scene, but not by gunfire.<ref name="NYT_Grady_20110114" /><ref name="WP-victims" />
|title=InformationWeek}}</ref>. Giffords' bill failed to garner the needed support and was not enacted.


The shooter, ],<ref name="MSNBC-20110108-profile">{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40980334 |title=Profile of Jared Loughner: 'I can't trust the current government' |publisher=] |date=January 8, 2011 |access-date=January 8, 2011 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215014339/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40980334 |url-status=live}}</ref> was detained by bystanders until he was taken into police custody.<ref name="Reuters-20110108">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7071IA20110108 |title=Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot in Arizona |publisher=Reuters |date=January 8, 2011 |access-date=January 8, 2011 |first=Roberta |last=Rampton |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215014339/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7071IA20110108?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MSNBC-20110108">{{cite news |title=US congresswoman in critical condition after shooting |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40978517 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=January 8, 2011 |date=January 8, 2011 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215014340/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40978517 |url-status=live}}</ref> Federal officials charged Loughner on the next day with killing federal government employees, attempting to assassinate a member of Congress, and attempting to kill federal employees.<ref name="P2">{{cite news |title=Federal charges could carry death penalty |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47298.html |work=] |date=January 9, 2011 |author=Alexander Burns & Matt Negrin |access-date=January 9, 2011 |archive-date=March 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310162653/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47298.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MSNBC2">{{Cite news |title=Suspect charged in congresswoman's attack |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40988567 |publisher=NBC News |agency=] |date=January 9, 2011 |access-date=November 13, 2019 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215014340/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40988567 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Reuters3">{{cite news |title=Suspect charged with attempted assassination of Giffords |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7071IA20110110 |publisher=Reuters |date=January 9, 2011 |author=Tim Gaynor and Peter Henderson |access-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124173559/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7071IA20110110 |url-status=live}}</ref> After eventually facing more than 50 federal criminal charges, Loughner pleaded guilty to 19 of them in a ] to avoid a ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/07/us/arizona-loughner-plea/index.html|title=Loughner pleads guilty to 19 counts in Tucson, Arizona, mass shooting - CNN.com|first=Michael Martinez and Kyung|last=Lah|publisher=]|date=August 7, 2012|access-date=July 13, 2016|archive-date=July 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160726165732/http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/07/us/arizona-loughner-plea/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
====Renewable Energy====
Giffords believes that ] sources needs to be a top public policy priority and she is a strong proponent of ].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.sciencecoalition.org/showContent.cfm?id=472&section=briefingroom&pageName=Legislative%20Issues
|title=The Science Coalition
|accessdate = 2009-05-05}}</ref>


Giffords's intern, ], provided first-aid assistance to her immediately after she was wounded, and is credited with saving her life.<ref name="Salon-20110110">{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Mary Elizabeth |url=http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/01/10/daneil_hernandez_gay_latino_hero |title=The Giffords shooting's gay, Hispanic hero |journal=] |date=January 10, 2011 |access-date=January 15, 2011 |archive-date=November 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102115158/http://www.salon.com/2011/01/10/daneil_hernandez_gay_latino_hero/ |url-status=live}}</ref> She was quickly evacuated to the ] in critical condition,<ref name="CNN-20110108">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/08/arizona.shooting/index.html |title=Arizona congresswoman among 12 shot at Tucson grocery |publisher=CNN |date=January 8, 2011 |access-date=January 8, 2011 |archive-date=January 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109020830/http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/08/arizona.shooting/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> though she was still conscious and "following commands".<ref name="NYT_Grady_20110114" />
In September 2007 Giffords released a report titled: ''The Community Solar Energy Initiative, Solar Energy in Southern Arizona''. The report states that Arizona has enough daily sunshine to power the entire United States.<ref>http://giffords.house.gov/Solar%20Energy%20in%20Southern%20Arizona%20Report_Exec%20Summary.pdf</ref>


On the same day doctors performed emergency surgery to extract skull fragments and a small amount of ] tissue from her brain.<ref name="WP-20110109-hope">{{cite news |last=Stein |first=Rob |author2=Vedantam, Shankar |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/09/AR2011010904439.html |title=Doctors see signs of hope for Giffords's recovery |newspaper=] |date=January 9, 2011 |access-date=January 10, 2011 |archive-date=February 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221204956/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/09/AR2011010904439.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The bullet passed through Giffords's head without crossing the midline of the brain, where the most critical injuries typically result.<ref name="NYT_Grady_20110114" /> ] to avoid further damage to the brain from pressure caused by swelling.<ref name="CNN-20110110-survive">{{cite news |last=Gupta |first=Sanjay |author-link=Sanjay Gupta |url=http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/10/gupta-how-giffords-survived-bullet-to-the-brain/ |title=Gupta: What helped Giffords survive brain shot |publisher=CNN |date=January 10, 2011 |access-date=January 11, 2011 |archive-date=January 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111061831/http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/10/gupta-how-giffords-survived-bullet-to-the-brain/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Doctors who first treated Giffords said the bullet entered the back of her head and exited through the front of her skull, but physicians later concluded that it had traveled in the opposite direction.<ref name="AZRepublic-20110112-visits">{{cite news |last=Alltucker |first=Ken |url=https://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/01/12/20110112gabrielle-giffords-more-responsive-brk12-ON.html |title=Obama visits Giffords at hospital, leaves for speech on campus |newspaper=] |date=January 12, 2011 |access-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215014342/https://help.azcentral.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Congressional campaigns==
Giffords was first elected to Congress in 2006. She was reelected in 2008.


Upon receiving a call from a staffer about Giffords's injury, her husband Mark Kelly and his daughters flew in a friend's aircraft directly from Houston to Tucson.<ref name="NYtimes-20110119-died">{{cite news |last=O'Connor |first=Anahad |title=Giffords's Husband Heard His Wife Had Died in Tucson |url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/giffordss-husband-heard-his-wife-had-died-in-tucson/ |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 19, 2011 |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-date=January 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120151652/http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/giffordss-husband-heard-his-wife-had-died-in-tucson/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CNN-20110113-recognition">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/13/arizona.shooting/ |title=Doctor: Giffords may be showing 'glimmers of recognition' |publisher=CNN |date=January 13, 2011 |access-date=January 14, 2011 |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109045540/http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/13/arizona.shooting/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
===2006===
{{Main|Arizona's 8th congressional district election, 2006}}


===Recovery===
Giffords launched her campaign on January 24, 2006. The campaign received national attention early on as a likely pick-up for the Democratic Party. Prominent Democrats endorsed Giffords including ], ], ], and ]. ] endorsed Giffords early in the campaign cycle.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.emilyslist.org/newsroom/releases/20060614a.html
Giffords was initially placed in an ] to allow her brain to rest. She was able to respond to simple commands when periodically awakened, but was unable to speak as she was on a ].<ref name="ABC-20110109-coma">{{Cite news |last=Carollo |first=Kim |title=Gabrielle Giffords in Medically Induced Coma to Help Brain Rest |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/gabrielle-giffords-health-update/story?id=12576433 |publisher=] |date=January 9, 2011 |access-date=January 9, 2011 |archive-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119040501/http://abcnews.go.com/Health/gabrielle-giffords-health-update/story?id=12576433 |url-status=live}}</ref> Nancy Pelosi (the ]) shared that Giffords's husband Mark Kelly had acknowledged that there was a "rough road ahead" in her recovery, but that he was encouraged by her responsiveness,<ref name="Politico-20110109-alert">{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Jonathan |title=Aide: Gabrielle Giffords Is 'Sort of Alert' |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47331.html |newspaper=] |date=January 9, 2011 |access-date=January 9, 2011 |archive-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112070114/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47331.html |url-status=live}}</ref> including her ability to signal with her hand and move both arms.<ref name="MSNBC-20110111-surviving">{{cite news |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/41018273 |title=Doctor: Giffords has '101 Percent Chance' of Surviving |publisher=NBC News |date=January 11, 2011 |access-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-date=February 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215010004/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/41018273 |url-status=dead}}</ref> U.S. Army neurologist Geoffrey Ling of the ] in Bethesda, Maryland, was sent to Tucson to consult on Giffords's condition. Ling stated, "Her prognosis for maintaining the function that she has is very good. It's over 50 percent."<ref name="WP-20110111-bullet">{{cite news |last=Brown |first=David |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011006771.html |title=Bullet path may decide Giffords's fate |date=January 11, 2011 |newspaper=] |access-date=January 11, 2011 |archive-date=May 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517101723/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011006771.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On January 11, neurosurgeon G. Michael Lemole Jr. said that Giffords's sedation had been reduced and that she could breathe on her own.<ref name="WP-20110111-breathe">{{cite news |last=Branigin |first=William |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/11/AR2011011103607.html |title=Doctors: Gabrielle Giffords able to breathe on her own |date=January 11, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=January 11, 2011 |archive-date=January 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121125103/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/11/AR2011011103607.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On January 12, President ] visited Giffords at the medical center and publicly stated in an evening memorial ceremony that she had "opened her eyes for the first time" that day.<ref name="CBS-20110112-eyes">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-rep-giffords-opened-her-eyes-today/ |title=Obama: Rep. Giffords "Opened Her Eyes" Today |date=January 12, 2011 |publisher=CBS News |agency=] |access-date=January 13, 2011 |archive-date=January 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114021723/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/12/national/main7240841.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Shortly after the shootings, some questions were raised by the media as to whether Giffords could be removed from office under a state law that allows a public office to be declared vacant if the officeholder is absent for three months, but a spokesperson for the Arizona secretary of state said the statute "doesn't apply to federal offices" and was, therefore, not relevant.<ref name="YumaSun-20110117">{{cite news |last=Fischer |first=Howard |url=http://www.yumasun.com/news/office-66911-arizona-law.html |title=Replacing Giffords called speculation |newspaper=Yuma Sun |date=January 17, 2011 |access-date=January 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209230222/http://www.yumasun.com/news/office-66911-arizona-law.html |archive-date=February 9, 2013}}</ref>
|title=EMILY's List Announces Endorsement of Gabrielle Giffords for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District
|publisher=Emily's List|date=June 14, 2006
|accessdate = 2006-11-09}}</ref> The ] and the Arizona Education Association also endorsed her.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2006/06/12/daily21.html
|title=Democratic contender gets support in House race
|publisher=Phoenix Business Journal|date=June 13, 2006
|accessdate = 2006-11-09}}</ref> On September 12, 2006, Giffords won her party's nomination in the primary election.


As Giffords's status improved, by mid-January she began simple physical therapy,<ref name="ADW-20110114-therapy">{{cite news |last=Money |first=Luke |url=http://wildcat.arizona.edu/news/giffords-can-move-legs-begins-physical-therapy-1.1843099 |title=Giffords can move legs, begins physical therapy |newspaper=] |date=January 14, 2011 |access-date=January 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117041554/http://wildcat.arizona.edu/news/giffords-can-move-legs-begins-physical-therapy-1.1843099 |archive-date=January 17, 2011}}</ref> including sitting up with the assistance of hospital staff and moving her legs upon command.<ref name="ADW-20110114-therapy" /><ref name="CNN-20110113-recognition" /> On January 15, surgeons performed a ], replacing the ventilator tube with a smaller one inserted through Giffords's throat to assist independent breathing.<ref name="LAT-20110116-ventilator">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-jan-16-la-na-giffords-medical-20110116-story.html |title=Rep. Gabrielle Giffords taken off ventilator |last=Maugh |first=Thomas H. II |date=January 16, 2011 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=January 17, 2011 |archive-date=January 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110118075600/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/16/nation/la-na-giffords-medical-20110116 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Reuters-20110115-breathing">{{cite news |last=Poole |first=Brad |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70E20B20110115 |title=Doctors open breathing hole in Giffords's throat |publisher=] |date=January 15, 2011 |access-date=January 16, 2011 |archive-date=January 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117230811/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70E20B20110115 |url-status=live}}</ref> Ophthalmologist Lynn Polonski surgically repaired Giffords's damaged eye socket,<ref name="USAToday-20110117-smiles">{{cite news |last=Leinwand |first=Donna |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-01-17-giffords-arizona-shooting_N.htm |title=Husband: Giffords smiles, rubs his neck |date=January 17, 2011 |access-date=January 17, 2011 |work=USA Today |archive-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119023629/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-01-17-giffords-arizona-shooting_N.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> with additional reconstructive surgery to follow.<ref name="CNN-20110117-eye">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/17/arizona.shooting/index.html |title=Giffords undergoes successful operation to repair eye socket |date=January 17, 2011 |publisher=CNN |access-date=January 17, 2011 |archive-date=January 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117080700/http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/17/arizona.shooting/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Giffords's condition improved from "critical" to "serious" on January 17,<ref name="UPI-20110117-cares">{{cite news |title=Kelly: Injured Giffords cares for others |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/01/17/Kelly-Injured-Giffords-cares-for-others/UPI-76741295273051/ |work=] |date=January 17, 2011 |access-date=January 17, 2011 |archive-date=January 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110118141738/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/01/17/Kelly-Injured-Giffords-cares-for-others/UPI-76741295273051/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and to "good" on January 25.<ref name="CNN-Cohen-26Jan">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/26/arizona.shooting.giffords/index.html |title=Giffords moves to rehabilitation hospital |last=Cohen |first=Elizabeth |date=January 26, 2011 |publisher=CNN |access-date=January 26, 2011 |archive-date=January 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126195733/http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/26/arizona.shooting.giffords/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> She was transferred on January 21 to the ] in ], Texas, where she subsequently moved to the ] to undergo a program of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.<ref name="CNN-Cohen-26Jan" /><ref name="CNN-20110121-transfer">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/21/arizona.shooting/index.html |title=Giffords arrives in Houston |last=Martinez |first=Michael |date=January 21, 2011 |publisher=CNN |access-date=January 21, 2011 |archive-date=January 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121102450/http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/21/arizona.shooting/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Medical experts' initial assessment in January was that Giffords's recovery could take from several months to more than one year.<ref name="CNN-20110111-injury">{{cite news |last=Landau |first=Elizabeth |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/11/giffords.brain.surgery/ |title=Giffords in key period after brain injury |publisher=CNN |date=January 11, 2011 |access-date=January 11, 2011 |archive-date=January 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131151116/http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/11/giffords.brain.surgery/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Upon her arrival in Houston, her doctors were optimistic, saying she has "great rehabilitation potential".<ref name="AZStar-20110121-potential">{{cite news |url=http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_4dc188e0-25a8-11e0-aa8e-001cc4c002e0.html |title=Doctor: Giffords has 'great rehabilitation potential' |date=January 21, 2011 |newspaper=Arizona Daily Star |access-date=January 22, 2011 |archive-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124194124/http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_4dc188e0-25a8-11e0-aa8e-001cc4c002e0.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
Her Republican opponent in the general election was ], a conservative former state senator known for his enforcement-only position on ] and illegal aliens. Graf had run against ] in the 2004 GOP primary and had announced his candidacy in 2006 before Kolbe announced his retirement. The Republican establishment was somewhat cool toward Graf, believing he may be too conservative for the district. The national GOP took the unusual step of endorsing one of the more moderate candidates in the primary; but Graf won anyway, helped by a split in the Republican moderate vote between two candidates.


On March 12, 2011, Giffords's husband informed her that six other people had been killed in the attack on her, but he did not identify who they were until months later.<ref name="APvow">Myers, Amanda Lee and Michelle Price. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010012/http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-giffords-vows-return-congress-154211434.html |date=March 5, 2016}}, yahoo.com, ], November 4, 2011</ref> In late April, Giffords's doctors reported that her physical, cognitive, and language production abilities had improved significantly, placing her in the top 5 percent of patients recovering from similar injuries.<ref name="update" /> She was walking under supervision with perfect control of her left arm and leg, and able to write with her left hand. She was able to read and understand, and spoke in short phrases. With longer efforts, she was able to produce more complex sentences.<ref name="update">{{cite web |title=Gabrielle Giffords' doctors, husband share details on her progress |last=Rose |first=Jaimee |date=April 24, 2011 |work=The Arizona Republic |access-date=April 25, 2011 |url=https://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/04/24/20110424gabrielle-giffords-medical-condition.html |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215014342/https://help.azcentral.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
Not long after the primary, ''Congressional Quarterly'' changed its rating of the race to "Leans Democrat." By late September, the national GOP had pulled most of its funding, effectively conceding the seat to Giffords.


From early in her recovery, Giffords's husband had expressed confidence that she would be able to travel to the ], Florida, to witness the launch of his final Space Shuttle mission, ], which was scheduled for April 2011.<ref name="CNN-20110209">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/09/giffords.recovery/ |title=Spokesman: Giffords recovering part of her ability to speak |publisher=CNN |date=February 9, 2011 |access-date=February 9, 2011 |archive-date=February 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211215059/http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/09/giffords.recovery/ |url-status=live}}</ref> On April 25, Giffords's doctors cleared her for travel to Florida for the launch, scheduled for April 29. She went to Florida to watch from a private family area with no public appearance or photography. The launch of STS-134 was delayed due to mechanical problems, and Giffords and Kelly returned to Houston after meeting with President Obama, who had also planned to see the launch with his family at ] (KSC).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/spokesman-says-gabby-giffords-plans-to-return-to-florida-to-watch-husbands-shuttle-launch/2011/05/02/AFFK4DaF_story.html |title=Spokesman says Rep. Giffords plans to return to Florida to watch husband's shuttle launch |date=May 2, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |agency=Associated Press |access-date=May 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226185329/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/spokesman-says-gabby-giffords-plans-to-return-to-florida-to-watch-husbands-shuttle-launch/2011/05/02/AFFK4DaF_story.html |archive-date=December 26, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Astronauts in Fla. for next-to-last space shuttle flight, Endeavour patched, in 'great' shape |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/astronauts-in-fla-for-next-to-last-space-shuttle-flight-endeavour-patched-in-good-shape/2011/05/12/AFOmZkyG_story.html |date=May 12, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |agency=Associated Press |access-date=May 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211202518/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/astronauts-in-fla-for-next-to-last-space-shuttle-flight-endeavour-patched-in-good-shape/2011/05/12/AFOmZkyG_story.html |archive-date=December 11, 2018 }}</ref>
Giffords won the race on November 7, 2006, with 54 percent of the vote. Graf received 42 percent. The rest of the vote went to minor candidates.


After continuing her rehabilitation therapy in Houston,<ref name="travelAP">{{cite news |url=http://www.indystar.com/article/20110425/NEWS01/104250355/Doctors-OK-Rep-Giffords-trip-Florida-shuttle-launch |title=Doctors OK Rep. Gifford's trip to husband's shuttle launch |date=April 25, 2011 |work=The Indianapolis Star |agency=Associated Press |access-date=April 25, 2011}}</ref><ref name="travelReuters">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-giffords-shuttle-idUSTRE73O3XB20110425 |title=Doctors say Giffords can attend husband's shuttle launch |date=April 25, 2011 |publisher=Reuters |access-date=April 25, 2011 |archive-date=January 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116103708/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-giffords-shuttle-idUSTRE73O3XB20110425 |url-status=live}}</ref> Giffords returned to KSC for her husband's launch on May 16, 2011. Kelly wore his wife's wedding ring into space, which she had exchanged for his.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shauk |first=Zain |url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7566443.html |title=500,000 gather to see launch of Endeavour |work=Houston Chronicle |date=May 16, 2011 |access-date=August 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727124632/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7566443.html |archive-date=July 27, 2011}}</ref>
Graf's candidacy was mentioned frequently in the national media as a test case of voters' feelings toward immigration issues, and Giffords' victory was portrayed as evidence that Americans are accepting towards comprehensive immigration reform.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/15994756.htm
|title=Voters reject immigrant-bashing among candidates
|publisher=San Jose Mercury News|date=November 12, 2006
|accessdate = 2006-11-12}}</ref> Graf did not even carry a majority in ], a border region where illegal immigration is an important local issue. Nonetheless, Arizona's continuing interest in the issue is evidenced by the fact that all ] in the general election relating to restricting benefits to illegal aliens did pass by wide margins.


]
===2008===
Giffords underwent ] surgery on May 18, 2011, to replace the part of her skull that had been removed in January to permit her brain to swell after the gunshot to her head. Surgeons replaced the bone with a piece of molded hard plastic, fixed with tiny screws. They expected that her skull would eventually fuse with the porous plastic. From that point, Giffords no longer needed to wear the helmet that she had been wearing to protect her brain from further injury.<ref name="Surgery"> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207170929/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/successful-surgery-to-repair-skull-lets-gorgeous-gabby-finally-shed-hated-helmet/2011/05/20/AFvGdd7G_story.html |date=December 7, 2018}}. ''The Washington Post'', May 20, 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Deborah Quinn |last=Hensel |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-giffords-surgery-idUSTRE74H7DS20110518 |title=Giffords recovering from cranioplasty in Houston |work=Reuters |date=May 18, 2011 |access-date=June 12, 2011 |archive-date=January 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116103704/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-giffords-surgery-idUSTRE74H7DS20110518 |url-status=live}}</ref> On June 9, 2011, her aide Pia Carusone announced that while Giffords's comprehension appeared to be "close to normal, if not normal", she was not yet using complete sentences.<ref>{{cite news |last=Montini |first=E. J. |url=https://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/06/09/20110609gabrielle-giffords-health-issues-revealed.html |title=Gabrielle Giffords' staffer talks about congresswoman's health |work=The Arizona Republic |date=June 9, 2011 |access-date=June 9, 2011 |archive-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501061023/https://help.azcentral.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On June 12, two photos of Giffords taken on May 17 were released, the first since the shooting.<ref name="aprecoverypix">{{cite news |url=http://www.theledger.com/article/20110612/NEWS/110619829 |title=First post-shooting photos of Giffords released |last=Plushnick-Masti |first=Ramit |author2=Amanda Lee Myers |date=June 12, 2011 |work=] |agency=Associated Press |access-date=January 25, 2012 |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715025717/http://www.theledger.com/article/20110612/NEWS/110619829 |url-status=live}}</ref> On June 15, Giffords was released from the hospital to return home, where she continued speech, music, physical and occupational therapy.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cappon |first1=Colleen |first2=Jessica Ryen |last2=Doyle |url=https://www.foxnews.com/health/doctor-gabrielle-giffords-could-return-to-congress/ |title=Doctor: Gabrielle Giffords Could Return to Congress |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=July 8, 2011 |access-date=July 8, 2011 |archive-date=July 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711012740/http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/07/08/doctor-gabrielle-giffords-could-return-to-congress/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Having learned the French horn as a child, she picked it up again as part of her music therapy and in August 2020 spoke about that experience in a speech endorsing Joe Biden's presidential bid.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2020/08/19/play-it-again-gabby |title=Play it again, Gabby |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200822042315/https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2020/08/19/play-it-again-gabby |archive-date=August 22, 2020 |first=Max |last=Brantley |work=] |date=August 19, 2020}}</ref>
{{Main|United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2008#District 8}}


On August 1, 2011, she made her return to the House floor to vote in favor of ]. She was met with a standing ovation and accolades from her fellow members of Congress.<ref name="congressreturnCNN">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/08/01/congress.giffords/index.html |title=Giffords returns to House for debt vote |date=August 1, 2011 |publisher=CNN |access-date=August 1, 2011 |archive-date=January 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131151541/http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/08/01/congress.giffords/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> A Giffords spokesman, Mark Kimble, stated in August 2011 that the congresswoman was walking without a cane and was writing left-handed, as she did not have full use of her right side.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116103703/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/30/gabrielle-giffords-walking-writing_n_941894.html |date=January 16, 2016}}. ''Huffington Post'', August 30, 2011</ref> On October 6, Giffords traveled to Washington for her husband's retirement ceremony, where she presented him with the ] medal. She returned to her husband's Texas home.<ref>Memoli, Michael A. . ''Los Angeles Times'', October 6, 2011</ref> On October 25, 2011, she travelled to ], for intensive rehabilitation treatments, ending November 4.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103061454/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-23/us/us_north-carolina-giffords-rehab_1_gabrielle-giffords-jared-loughner-intensive-therapy |date=November 3, 2011}}. CNN, October 23, 2011</ref> In Kelly's memoir, ''Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope'', released in November 2011, he reported that Giffords would return to Congress. {{as of|2016}}, she continued to struggle with language and had lost fifty percent of her vision in both eyes.<ref name="APvow" />
In 2008 Giffords was elected to a second term. Republican ], a childhood classmate and former colleague in the ], ran against her. Bee was then the Arizona State Senate President and was considered a strong challenger in this race. Giffords carried the race, winning 56.20 percent of the vote to Tim Bee's 41.45 percent.<ref></ref>

===Resignation from Congress===
] at the ]]]
On January 22, 2012, Giffords announced in a video statement that she intended to resign her seat so that she could focus on her recovery.<ref>, CBC, January 22, 2012</ref> She attended President Obama's ] on January 24, and formally submitted her resignation on January 25. Appearing on the floor of the House, after the last bill she sponsored was brought to a vote and unanimously passed, Giffords was lauded by members of Congress and the majority and minority leaders who spoke in tribute to her strength and accomplishment in an unusual farewell ceremony. Her letter of resignation was read on her behalf by her close friend and fellow Democratic representative, ].<ref name="LATfarewell">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-giffords-bill-20120126,0,6404241.story |title=Rep. Gabrielle Giffords sees her last bill pass, says farewell |last=Mascaro |first=Lisa |date=January 26, 2012 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=January 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126055707/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-giffords-bill-20120126%2C0%2C6404241.story |archive-date=January 26, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="resignwapo1">{{cite news |url=http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2012/01/25/Giffords-resigns-House-seat-to-focus-on-recovery-from-gunshot-wound-to-head.html |title=Giffords resigns House seat to focus on recovery from gunshot wound to head |work=The Toledo Blade |agency=Associated Press |date=January 25, 2012 |access-date=June 12, 2016 |archive-date=June 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630083824/http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2012/01/25/Giffords-resigns-House-seat-to-focus-on-recovery-from-gunshot-wound-to-head.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Post-congressional activities==
] by ] ] in July 2022]]
A joint memoir by Giffords and her husband, ''Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope'', with co-author ], was published on November 15, 2011.<ref name="bookusatoday">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/story/2011-11-14/gabrielle-giffords-mark-kelly-memoir/51207060/1 |title=Giffords, Kelly detail recovery 10 months after shooting |last=Rose |first=Jaimee |date=November 15, 2011 |work=USA Today |access-date=January 25, 2012 |archive-date=December 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111219070204/http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/story/2011-11-14/gabrielle-giffords-mark-kelly-memoir/51207060/1 |url-status=live}}</ref> Giffords and Kelly were interviewed by ]'s ] in their first joint interview since the shooting, which aired on a special edition of ] on November 14, 2011, in conjunction with the book's publication.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/473686-Diane_Sawyer_Gets_First_Sit_Down_With_Gabby_Giffords.php |title=Diane Sawyer Gets First Sit-Down With Gabby Giffords |last=Morabito |first=Andrea |date=September 12, 2011 |work=] |access-date=September 12, 2011 |archive-date=April 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404031124/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/473686-Diane_Sawyer_Gets_First_Sit_Down_With_Gabby_Giffords.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

Giffords has made appearances at the four ] held since she left congress. On September 6, 2012, Giffords led the ] at that evening's meeting of the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-rep-gabrielle-giffords-to-deliver-pledge-of-allegiance-at-democratic-convention/2012/09/06/71a81fce-f83f-11e1-a93b-7185e3f88849_story.html|title=Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to deliver Pledge of Allegiance at Democratic convention|newspaper=]}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> At the ], Giffords delivered a speech in support of presidential nominee ].<ref>{{cite web |title=WATCH: Gabby Giffords' powerful entrance to DNC follows with strong message |url=https://abc7chicago.com/gabby-giffords-speech-gun-violence-dnc/1446097/ |website=ABC7 Chicago |access-date=January 12, 2021 |date=July 28, 2016 |archive-date=June 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614191746/https://abc7chicago.com/gabby-giffords-speech-gun-violence-dnc/1446097/ |url-status=live}}</ref> For the ], Giffords delivered a speech supporting presidential nominee ] and urging action on gun control.<ref name=dnc2020/> At the ] held in ], she again spoke for gun safety and reform.

After her shooting, Giffords became an advocate for anti-gun-violence causes. In 2013, shortly after the ], Giffords and her husband founded the ] and ] ] (ARS) to support pro-gun control candidates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/gabby-giffords-gun-control-group-hopes-head-head-130025535--abc-news-politics.html|title=Gabby Giffords' Gun Control Group Hopes to Go Head-to-Head With NRA in 2014|website=news.yahoo.com|language=en-US|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-date=October 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019111423/http://news.yahoo.com/gabby-giffords-gun-control-group-hopes-head-head-130025535--abc-news-politics.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2017 the organization was reorganized, becoming ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/101717_giffords/|title='Cause of my life' - Giffords rebrands gun-control group with her name|work=Tucson Sentinel|language=en|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-date=May 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501061023/https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/101717_giffords/cause-my-life-giffords-rebrands-gun-control-group-with-her-name/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2013, Giffords still had difficulty speaking and walking, and her right arm was paralyzed. She continued to undergo speech and physical therapy.<ref name="AP">{{cite news |author=Benac, Nancy |url=https://news.yahoo.com/halting-voice-giffords-speaks-guns-190250144--politics.html |title=With halting voice, Giffords speaks out on guns |publisher=] |date=January 30, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2017 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305072146/http://news.yahoo.com/halting-voice-giffords-speaks-guns-190250144--politics.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On January 8, 2014, Giffords marked the third anniversary of the shooting by going ]. Giffords said on an interview with the ], "Oh, wonderful sky. Gorgeous mountain. Blue skies. I like a lot. A lot of fun. Peaceful, so peaceful."<ref>{{cite news |last=Murray |first=Matt |title='One of the strongest women ever': What #GoGabby means to you |url=http://www.today.com/orangeroom/one-strongest-women-ever-what-gogabby-means-you-2D11884038 |newspaper=TODAY |date=January 9, 2014 |access-date=January 9, 2014 |archive-date=January 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109181635/http://www.today.com/orangeroom/one-strongest-women-ever-what-gogabby-means-you-2D11884038 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Nicks |first=Denver |title=Watch: Gabby Giffords Skydives to Celebrate Life |url=http://nation.time.com/2014/01/09/watch-gabby-giffords-skydives-to-celebrate-life/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109192216/http://nation.time.com/2014/01/09/watch-gabby-giffords-skydives-to-celebrate-life/ |archive-date=January 9, 2014 |newspaper=]|date=January 9, 2014}}</ref> As of 2022, Giffords continues to experience the ], a disorder which diminishes her ability to communicate her thoughts through spoken language. She co-founded the organization ''Friends of Aphasia'' as a support group for others suffering the disorder.<ref>Multiple sources:
*{{Cite web |last=Narula |first=Dr Tara |date=2022-11-18 |title=Gabby Giffords Still struggles to find words, but she hasn't lost her voice |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/18/health/gabby-giffords-aphasia-essay/index.html |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=CNN |language=en}}
*{{cite web |title=Aphasia Won't Stop Gabby Giffords from Speaking Out |url=https://www.brainandlife.org/articles/gabby-giffords-doesnt-let-aphasia-stop-her |website=Brain & Life |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=en |date=October 2022}}
*{{cite web |title=Profiles of Aphasia: Gabby Giffords |url=https://aphasia.org/stories/aphasia-gabby-giffords/ |website=The National Aphasia Association |access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref>

The ] awarded Giffords the ] on July 7, 2022.<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/01/president-biden-announces-recipients-of-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom/ | title =President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom | date =July 1, 2022 | website =] | publisher =] | access-date =July 1, 2022 | archive-date =July 6, 2022 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20220706103807/https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/01/president-biden-announces-recipients-of-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom/ | url-status =live }}</ref> She was the Grand Marshal of the 2023 ] and presided over the Rose Parade and the ].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Toohey |first1=Grace |title=Former Rep. Gabby Giffords to serve as 2023 Rose Parade grand marshal |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-13/gabby-giffords-rose-parade-grand-marshal-2023-rose-bowl |access-date=October 13, 2022 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=October 13, 2022 |archive-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501061029/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-13/gabby-giffords-rose-parade-grand-marshal-2023-rose-bowl |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Personal life== ==Personal life==
] in 2016]]
Giffords' parents are Spencer J. Giffords and Gloria Kay Fraser Giffords. Giffords identifies with ] and is Arizona's first Jewish Congresswoman.<ref>{{cite news
Giffords married ] captain and ] astronaut ] on November 10, 2007. Kelly was the ]'s pilot on the ] and ] missions, was the commander of ] and ],<ref>{{cite web |last=Faherty |first=John |url=https://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/01/20080601 |title=Congresswoman's husband now in orbit |publisher=Azcentral.com |date=June 1, 2008 |access-date=January 8, 2011 |archive-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501061055/https://help.azcentral.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and became a U.S. Senator for Arizona in 2020.
| last = Gelbart
| first = Debra Morton
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Ms. Giffords goes to Congress
| work = JTA News Service
| publisher = JTA.org
| date = 2006-11-08
| url = http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticleid=17260&intcategoryid=3
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 2007-01-05 }}</ref> She is a member of Congregation Chaverim in Tucson.


Giffords is a former member of the Arizona regional board of the ].<ref name="adl">{{cite web |url=http://www.adl.org/PresRele/Mise_00/5958_00.htm |title=ADL Condemns Attack on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords; Calls for Thorough Investigation into Motives of Shooter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110201719/http://www.adl.org/PresRele/Mise_00/5958_00.htm |archive-date=January 10, 2011 }}</ref> After ] struck in August 2005, Giffords spent time as a volunteer in Houston, Texas, in relief efforts for hurricane victims. She wrote about her experience in the '']''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/09/19/guest-opinion-houstons-humble-haven-if-nothing-else-we-should-learn-from-tragedy/ |title=Giffords campaign website |access-date=May 8, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070422115300/http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/09/19/guest-opinion-houstons-humble-haven-if-nothing-else-we-should-learn-from-tragedy/ |archive-date=April 22, 2007}}</ref>
After ] struck in the late summer of 2005, Giffords spent time as a volunteer in ], ], in relief efforts for Hurricane victims. She wrote about her experience in the ''Tucson Citizen''.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2005/09/19/guest-opinion-houstons-humble-haven-if-nothing-else-we-should-learn-from-tragedy/
|title=Gifford's campaign website
|accessdate = 2007-05-08}}</ref>


Prior to her injury, Giffords was an avid reader, and was featured on ]'s '']'' on July 9, 2006, talking about her love of books.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5543404 |title=Books to Make the Most of Her Personal Space |date=July 9, 2006 |publisher=NPR |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-date=May 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522233448/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5543404 |url-status=live }}</ref> She was periodically interviewed in 2007 together with Illinois Republican ] on NPR's '']''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6723561 |title=Perspectives on the Change in Power |date=January 4, 2007 |publisher=NPR |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-date=February 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219014746/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6723561 |url-status=live }}</ref> The series focused on their experiences as freshman members of the 110th Congress.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6724736 |title=Freshmen Members Stake Out Roles in House |date=January 4, 2007 |publisher=National Public Radio (NPR) |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-date=April 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423050927/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6724736 |url-status=live }};<br /> {{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431187 |title=New Congress Members Join House Debate on Iraq |date=February 15, 2007 |publisher=NPR |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-date=April 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424130928/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431187 |url-status=live }};<br /> {{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9482787 |title=Freshmen Lawmakers Take District Temperatures |date=April 9, 2007 |publisher=NPR |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-date=February 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203034252/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9482787 |url-status=live }};<br /> {{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10330378 |title=Bipartisan Immigration Bill Faces Bipartisan Critics |date=May 22, 2007 |publisher=NPR |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-date=February 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219121411/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10330378 |url-status=live }};<br /> {{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12492620 |title=Freshmen Lawmakers Weigh in on Iraq after Visits |date=August 3, 2007 |publisher=NPR |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-date=February 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219121501/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12492620 |url-status=live }};<br /> {{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15604107 |title=First Re-Election Bids Require Balancing Act |date=October 24, 2007 |publisher=NPR |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-date=February 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219121447/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15604107 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Giffords is an avid reader and was featured on ]'s '']'' on July 9, 2006. She discussed books she was currently reading, including ''First Man'', a biography of astronaut ] and a book by ] about the intricacies of the diamond industry across several continents. Congresswoman Giffords was periodically interviewed together with Illinois Republican ] on NPR's '']''. The series focused on their experiences as freshman members of the 110th Congress.


==Political positions==
Giffords married U.S. Navy Captain and ] ] on November 10, 2007. He was the ]'s pilot on ] and ]. STS-121 in 2006 was the first shuttle mission to launch on the ]. Giffords participated in a NASA tradition when she selected "]" by ] as one of the wake-up calls for the STS-121 shuttle crew. On May 31, 2008, Kelly rocketed toward the heavens for the third time as Commander of ]. This mission in to space marked the first time an astronaut was married to a sitting member of the U.S. Congress.<ref></ref>
===Economy===
Giffords voted against President ]'s ].<ref name="BBCProfile" /> Giffords was one of 60 lawmakers who voted against the ] during its first House vote before switching to a yes vote in its second House vote,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-10-03-2053602361_x.htm |work=USA Today |title=Vote switchers on financial bailout |date=October 3, 2008 |access-date=May 3, 2010 |archive-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501061149/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-10-03-2053602361_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and she voted for the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://giffords.house.gov/2009/02/stimulus-bill-deserved-my-vote.shtml |title=Stimulus bill deserved my vote &#124; Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords |publisher=Giffords.house.gov |date=February 22, 2009 |access-date=July 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707023626/http://giffords.house.gov/2009/02/stimulus-bill-deserved-my-vote.shtml |archive-date=July 7, 2010}}</ref>

In August 2011, she voted in favor of raising the U.S. ].<ref name="congressreturnCNN" />

===Education===
Giffords argued that Americans are competing on a global level and that this competition starts in the classroom. She was a critic of the ] law, arguing that it imposed an unfunded federal mandate. She also identified herself as a being a supporter of public schools and improved to their efficiency.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/rep_bios.php?rep_id=81737106&category=views&id=20110527128561 |title=Gabrielle Giffords&nbsp;– Education |publisher=The Political Guide |access-date=January 20, 2011 |archive-date=July 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717024006/http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/rep_bios.php?rep_id=81737106&category=views&id=20110527128561 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

===Energy===
Giffords strongly supported renewable energy (especially solar energy) as a top public policy priority.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sciencecoalition.org/showContent.cfm?id=472&section=briefingroom&pageName=Legislative%20Issues |title=The Science Coalition |access-date=May 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115173530/http://www.sciencecoalition.org/showContent.cfm?id=472&section=briefingroom&pageName=Legislative%20Issues |archive-date=January 15, 2011 }}</ref> In September 2007, she published a report titled: ''The Community Solar Energy Initiative, Solar Energy in Southern Arizona'' in which it was noted that Arizona has enough sunshine to power the entire United States. The report reviewed current energy usage and discussed ways to increase the production of solar electricity.<ref name="house1">{{cite web|url=http://giffords.house.gov/Solar%20Energy%20in%20Southern%20Arizona%20Report_Exec%20Summary.pdf |title=Solar Energy in Southern Arizona: Executive Summary |last=Giffords |first=Gabrielle |date=September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722121624/http://giffords.house.gov/Solar%20Energy%20in%20Southern%20Arizona%20Report_Exec%20Summary.pdf |archive-date=July 22, 2011 }}</ref> On August 1, 2008, she wrote to congressional leaders regarding ] that were set to expire, arguing that failure to extend the scheme would be extremely harmful to the renewable energy industry "just as it is beginning to take off".<ref>{{cite web |last=Schuster |first=John |url=http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:114370 |title=Power Play &#124; Currents Feature |work=Tucson Weekly |access-date=July 11, 2010 |archive-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501061029/https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/power-play/Content?oid=1092209 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Immigration and border security===
]

During Giffords's tenure in the House, Arizona's 8th congressional district was one of ten in the country bordering Mexico. In 2010, Giffords stated that the ] legislation was a "clear calling that the federal government needs to do a better job"<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/28/immigration.reform.debate/index.html |title=Democrats call for elimination of Arizona's new immigration law |publisher=CNN |date=April 28, 2010 |access-date=April 30, 2010 |archive-date=April 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100429035623/http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/28/immigration.reform.debate/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and said that she hoped that the legislation would serve as a wake-up call to the federal government. However, she stopped short of supporting the law itself, saying that it "does nothing to secure our border" and that it "stands in direct contradiction to our past and, as a result, threatens our future". She also expressed concern that SB1070 was hurting the state's ability to attract students and businesses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://giffords.house.gov/2010/04/us-rep-gabrielle-giffords-statement-on-arizonas-new-immigration-law-and-the-need-to-secure-our-borde.shtml |title=Giffords Statement On Arizona's New Immigration Law and the US Border |date=April 30, 2010 |access-date=August 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804030453/http://giffords.house.gov/2010/04/us-rep-gabrielle-giffords-statement-on-arizonas-new-immigration-law-and-the-need-to-secure-our-borde.shtml |archive-date=August 4, 2010}}</ref>

On August 31, 2010, Giffords praised the arrival of ] troops on the border: "Arizonans have waited a long time for the deployment of the National Guard in our state. Their arrival represents a renewed national commitment to protecting our border communities from drug cartels and smugglers."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://giffords.house.gov/2010/08/us-rep-gabrielle-giffords-statement-on-arrival-of-national-guard-troops-on-the-arizona-mexico-border.shtml |title=U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' Statement On Arrival Of National Guard Troops on the Arizona–Mexico Border |date=August 31, 2010 |access-date=October 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007075442/http://giffords.house.gov/2010/08/us-rep-gabrielle-giffords-statement-on-arrival-of-national-guard-troops-on-the-arizona-mexico-border.shtml |archive-date=October 7, 2010}}</ref>

Giffords worked to secure passage of the August 2010 bill to fund more ] agents and surveillance technology for Arizona's border with Mexico. The legislation passed the House of Representatives only to be sent back by the U.S. Senate with reduced funding. Ultimately a $600-million bill was passed and signed into law. The bill was over $100&nbsp;million less than Giffords fought for, but she said, "This funding signals a stronger federal commitment to protect those Americans who live and work near the border."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://giffords.house.gov/2010/08/us-rep-gabrielle-giffords-welcomes-presidents-signing-of-border-security-bill.shtml |title=U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Welcomes President's Signing Of Border Security Bill |date=August 13, 2010 |access-date=October 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007080302/http://giffords.house.gov/2010/08/us-rep-gabrielle-giffords-welcomes-presidents-signing-of-border-security-bill.shtml |archive-date=October 7, 2010}}</ref>

In 2008, Giffords introduced legislation that would have increased the cap on the ] from 65,000 per year to 130,000 per year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.5630: |title=Bill Text&nbsp;– 110th Congress (2007–2008)&nbsp;– THOMAS (Library of Congress) |publisher=Thomas.gov |date=March 13, 2008 |access-date=January 8, 2011 |archive-date=January 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116103705/http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.5630: }}</ref> If that were not sufficient, according to her legislation, the cap would have been increased to 180,000 per year.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} The bill would have allowed, at most, 50% of employees at any given company with at least 50 employees to be H-1B guest workers.<ref name="pcworld_h1b">{{cite news |last=Gross |first=Grant |title=Bill Would Double Cap on H-1B Visas |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/143475/bill_would_double_cap_on_h1b_visas.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131183827/http://www.pcworld.com/article/143475/bill_would_double_cap_on_h1b_visas.html |archive-date=January 31, 2013 |newspaper=PC World |date=March 14, 2008 |access-date=April 20, 2010}}</ref> Giffords said the bill would help high-tech companies in southern Arizona, some of which rely on H-1B employees.<ref name="pcworld_h1b" /> However, Giffords's bill was never voted on by the House of Representatives.

===Gun control===
In 2008, before being shot, Giffords opposed prohibitions in Washington, D.C., on the possession of handguns in the home and having usable firearms there, signing an ] brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in '']'' to support its overturn.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brief for respondent District of Columbia v. Heller 07-290 |url=http://www.abanet.org/publiced/preview/briefs/pdfs/07-08/07-290_RespondentAmCuSenateHouseMembers.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=August 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325025828/http://www.abanet.org/publiced/preview/briefs/pdfs/07-08/07-290_RespondentAmCuSenateHouseMembers.pdf |archive-date=March 25, 2009}}</ref>

In January 2013, Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly started a political action committee called ] whose mission was to promote gun-control legislation with elected officials and the general public. The couple supports "keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people like criminals, terrorists, and the mentally ill".<ref name="background checks">{{Cite news |title=Criminal Background Checks |date=April 3, 2013 |url=http://americansforresponsiblesolutions.org/solutions/criminal-background-checks |work=Americans for Responsible Solutions |access-date=April 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218062422/http://americansforresponsiblesolutions.org/solutions/criminal-background-checks/ |archive-date=February 18, 2013 }}</ref> In 2016, the Legal Community Against Violence merged with Americans for Responsible Solutions and the organization changed its name to ] in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dumain |first1=Emma |title=SC taxpayers pay for gun violence: Overall annual cost in state is $1.5B, study says |url=https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/policy/guns/article230896054.html |access-date=10 May 2022 |publisher=The Greenville News |date=3 June 2019 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20190529102925/https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/policy/guns/article230896054.html |archive-date=29 May 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Other proposals from Giffords and Kelly include limiting the sale of certain ], limiting the sale of ]s, and stopping gun trafficking.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Giffords was a surprise witness at a ] hearing on gun violence on January 30, 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=Giffords, NRA battle over gun control |url=http://www.adn.com/2013/01/29/2769708/nra-says-more-gun-control-not.html#emlnl=Afternoon_Newsletter |work=] |access-date=January 31, 2013 |date=January 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203093239/http://www.adn.com/2013/01/29/2769708/nra-says-more-gun-control-not.html#emlnl=Afternoon_Newsletter |archive-date=February 3, 2013 }}</ref> In a halting voice, she called for Congress to pass tougher laws on guns, saying "too many children are dying." Giffords is right-handed; her speech therapist had to write out her statement for her since her right arm was paralyzed in the shooting.<ref name="AP" />

In 2017, after the ] that killed 58 and injured 546, she implored lawmakers to take action, saying she "knows the horror of gun violence all too well".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/las-vegas-shooting/gabby-giffords-i-know-horror-too-well-n806691|title=Gabby Giffords: I know this 'horror too well'|date=October 2, 2017 |publisher=NBC News|access-date=October 8, 2017|archive-date=October 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008053122/https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/las-vegas-shooting/gabby-giffords-i-know-horror-too-well-n806691|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Anapol |first=Avery|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/353389-giffords-las-vegas-shooting-is-a-grave-tragedy-for-our-nation|title=Giffords: Las Vegas shooting is a 'grave tragedy for our nation'|date=October 2, 2017|website=TheHill|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=January 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129020145/https://thehill.com/homenews/353389-giffords-las-vegas-shooting-is-a-grave-tragedy-for-our-nation|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2017/10/02/las-vegas-shooting-gabby-giffords/|title='Find the Courage:' Gabby Giffords Begs Congress to Act After Las Vegas Shooting |website=Fortune |access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=January 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129020041/https://fortune.com/2017/10/02/las-vegas-shooting-gabby-giffords/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2017/10/02/las-vegas-shooting-gabrielle-giffords-mark-kelly-tougher-gun-control-laws/723967001/|title=Las Vegas shooting: Gabby Giffords, Mark Kelly push more gun control|first=Ronald J.|last=Hansen|website=azcentral}}</ref>

Giffords spoke on the third night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, urging action on gun control. She worked with a speech therapist for months in preparation for the speech, and also performed "America" on the ], an instrument she had played as a teen, as a symbol of her recovery.<ref name=dnc2020>{{cite web|first1=Dan |last1=Merica |first2=Kate |last2=Sullivan|title=Gabby Giffords relates personal recovery to American resilience in powerful speech at DNC|date=August 20, 2020 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/19/politics/gabby-giffords-recovery-resilience-dnc/index.html|access-date=August 22, 2020|publisher=CNN|archive-date=August 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821170951/https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/19/politics/gabby-giffords-recovery-resilience-dnc/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2022, she founded the Giffords Center for Violence Intervention to promote "evidence-based, community-driven strategies to reduce gun violence" and assist communities in community violence intervention efforts.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://giffords.org/press-release/2022/10/giffords-launches-giffords-center-for-violence-intervention/ |title=Giffords Launches Giffords Center for Violence Intervention |publisher=Giffords.org |date=October 5, 2022 |access-date=August 13, 2024}}</ref>

In 2023, Giffords at the end of an interview said "No more guns," and plans to achieve that by "Legislation, legislation, legislation."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Elliott |first=Philip |date=April 26, 2023 |title='No More Guns. Gone': Why Gabby Giffords Isn't Giving Up |url=https://time.com/6274979/gabby-giffords-gun-control/ |magazine=TIME |access-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428054716/https://time.com/6274979/gabby-giffords-gun-control/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Giffords endorsed ]' campaigns for ] and ], saying at an event on July 25, 2024, that the upcoming ] was a "choice between Harris, who would sign a ban on assault weapons, and more gun violence under ], who gun-rights groups back."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/giffords-kamala-gun-violence-campaign-running-mate-5e7bb60c211ffa08a00668b93da5faa8 |title=Gabrielle Giffords stumps for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania as campaign for running mate takes shape |work=AP News |last=Levy |first=Marc |date=July 25, 2024 |access-date=August 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://giffords.org/press-release/2024/07/gabby-giffords-kamala-harris-will-be-a-great-president/ |title=Gabby Giffords: Kamala Harris Will Be a Great President |publisher=Giffords.org |date=July 21, 2024 |access-date=August 13, 2024}}</ref>

== Naming honors ==
{{main|USS Gabrielle Giffords{{!}}USS ''Gabrielle Giffords''}}
It was announced by ] ], on February 10, 2012, that the next ] ] would be named {{USS|Gabrielle Giffords|LCS-10}}. Giffords, still recovering from injuries sustained in the 2011 assassination attempt, attended the ship's keel-laying ceremony and etched her initials into a plate welded into the ship.<ref name="KeelLaying2">{{cite news |last=Finch II |first=Michael |url=http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2014/04/gabrielle_giffords_signs_initi.html |title=Gabrielle Giffords signs initials onto future littoral combat ship bearing her name |work=AL.com |date=April 16, 2014 |access-date=November 2, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222123257/http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2014/04/gabrielle_giffords_signs_initi.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

USS ''Gabrielle Giffords'' was christened at the ] shipyard in ], on June 13, 2015.<ref name="ChristeningPR">{{cite press release |url=http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=17329 |title=Navy Christens Littoral Combat Ship Gabrielle Giffords |date=June 11, 2015 |number=NR-228-15 |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |access-date=June 11, 2015 |archive-date=June 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614040638/http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=17329 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Christening2">{{cite news |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2015/06/13/navy-ship-uss-gabrielle-giffords-christened/71186248/ |title=Navy ship christened for former Arizona Rep. Giffords |work=] |date=June 13, 2015 |access-date=September 27, 2015 |archive-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501061149/https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2015/06/13/navy-ship-uss-gabrielle-giffords-christened/71186248/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Giffords attended the christening ceremony, along with ] ], who served as the ship's ].<ref name="ChristeningPR" /><ref name="Christening2" /> The ship was ] on June 12, 2017, at Port of Galveston, Texas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Navy Commissions USS Gabrielle Giffords|url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1210817/navy-commissions-uss-gabrielle-giffords/|website=U.S. Department of Defense|access-date=June 14, 2017|archive-date=June 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612194626/https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1210817/navy-commissions-uss-gabrielle-giffords/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some commentators have noted that several ships in the U.S. Navy, including {{USS|Henry M. Jackson|SSBN-730|2}}, {{USS|Carl Vinson|CVN-70|2}}, {{USS|John C. Stennis|CVN-74|2}}, {{USS|Jimmy Carter|SSN-23|2}}, {{USS|Ronald Reagan|CVN-76|2}}, and {{USS|George Bush|CVN-77|2}} were named for prominent politicians who were still alive at the time of the naming.<ref>{{cite web |last=Farley |first=Robert |title=USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) |url=http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2012/02/uss-gabrielle-giffords-lcs-10 |date=February 10, 2012 |access-date=March 28, 2013 |archive-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616083538/http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2012/02/uss-gabrielle-giffords-lcs-10 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://nation.time.com/2012/02/27/more-on-ship-naming-controversies-about-the-uss-gabrielle-giffords/ |title=More on Ship-Naming Controversies: About the USS Gabrielle Giffords |magazine=Time |last=Iskra |first=Darline |date=February 27, 2012 |access-date=March 29, 2013 |archive-date=May 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504153242/http://nation.time.com/2012/02/27/more-on-ship-naming-controversies-about-the-uss-gabrielle-giffords/ |url-status=live}}</ref> A subsequent Navy report on the naming noted that Secretary Mabus considered honoring Giffords and other victims of the Tucson shooting by naming LCS-10 after the city of Tucson, consistent with the practice of naming littoral combat ships for U.S. cities, but this was not possible because {{USS|Tucson|SSN-770|6}}, an active {{sclass|Los Angeles|submarine|1}}, already bears the name.<ref name="Hope to Giffords">{{cite news |last=Olson |first=Wyatt |url=http://www.stripes.com/news/navy/from-hope-to-giffords-the-navy-s-long-history-of-unconventional-ship-names-1.353190 |title=From Hope to Giffords: The Navy's long history of unconventional ship names |work=] |date=June 19, 2015 |access-date=October 23, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117061338/http://www.stripes.com/news/navy/from-hope-to-giffords-the-navy-s-long-history-of-unconventional-ship-names-1.353190 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin|title=Arizona's 8th Congressional District House Election, 2006}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
| party=Democratic Party (United States)
| candidate='''Gabrielle Giffords'''
| votes='''137,655'''
| percentage='''54.26%'''
| change=
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
| party=Republican Party (United States)
| candidate=]
| votes=106,790
| percentage=42.09%
| change=
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
| party=Libertarian Party (United States)
| candidate=]
| votes=4,849
| percentage=1.91%
| change=
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
| party=Independent (politician)
| candidate=Jay Quick
| votes=4,408
| percentage=1.74%
| change=
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin|title=Arizona's 8th Congressional District House Election, 2008}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
| party=Democratic Party (United States)
| candidate='''Gabrielle Giffords''' '''(incumbent)'''
| votes='''179,629'''
| percentage='''54.72%'''
| change=+0.46%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
| party=Republican Party (United States)
| candidate=Tim Bee
| votes=140,553
| percentage=42.82%
| change=+0.73%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
| party=Libertarian Party (United States)
| candidate=Paul Davis
| votes=8,081
| percentage=2.46%
| change=+0.55%
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin|title=Arizona's 8th Congressional District House Election, 2010}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
| party=Democratic Party (United States)
| candidate='''Gabrielle Giffords''' '''(incumbent)'''
| votes='''138,280'''
| percentage='''48.76%'''
| change=−5.96%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
| party=Republican Party (United States)
| candidate=Jesse Kelly
| votes=134,124
| percentage=47.30%
| change=+4.48%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
| party=Libertarian Party (United States)
| candidate=Steven Stoltz
| votes=11,174
| percentage=3.94%
| change=+1.48%
}}
{{Election box end}}


==See also== ==See also==
* ]
*]
* ]
*]
* ]
*]
*] * ]
* ]


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist
| colwidth = 30em
| refs =
<!--<ref name="Lacey2011-01-09">{{cite news
| last = Lacey
| first = Marc
| author2 = David M. Herszenhorn
| title = In Attack's Wake, Political Repercussions
| date = January 9, 2011
| newspaper = ]
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us/politics/09giffords.html
| access-date = January 11, 2011
}}</ref>-->

<ref name="HouseSession3985-2011-01-06">{{cite video
| title = House Session, Jan&nbsp;6, 2011
| date = January 6, 2011
| work = C-SPAN
| access-date = January 12, 2011
| url = http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/HouseSession3985
| time = 1:55:48&nbsp;– 1:56:10
| archive-date = May 1, 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230501061037/https://www.c-span.org/video/?297341-1/house-session
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="NYT_Grady_20110114">{{cite news
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/15/us/15medical.html
| date = January 14, 2011
| title = From Bloody Scene to E.R., Life-Saving Choices in Tucson
| author = Denise Grady
| author2 = Jennifer Medina
| work = The New York Times
| access-date = January 15, 2011
| archive-date = January 15, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110115052402/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/15/us/15medical.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{Twitter|Rep_Giffords|Gabrielle Giffords}}
{{Wikisource|Author:Gabrielle Dee Giffords}}
* ''official House site''
{{Commons category|Gabrielle Giffords}}
* ''official campaign site''
{{Wikinews category}}
*
* {{cite web |url=http://giffords.house.gov/ |title=U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords |access-date=January 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728205427/http://giffords.house.gov/ |archive-date=July 28, 2011 }} ''official U.S. House website'' (archive 2011)
{{CongLinks | congbio = g000554 | fec = H6AZ08038 | opensecrets = N00027829 | votesmart = 28507 | ontheissuespath = House/Gabby_Giffords.htm | legistorm = 838/Rep_Gabrielle_Giffords.html | surge = 524 | govtrack = 412188 | findagrave = }}
** {{cite web |url=http://giffords.house.gov/Solar%20Energy%20in%20Southern%20Arizona%20Report_Exec%20Summary.pdf |title=Giffords Community Solar Energy Initiative |access-date=May 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722121624/http://giffords.house.gov/Solar%20Energy%20in%20Southern%20Arizona%20Report_Exec%20Summary.pdf |archive-date=July 22, 2011 }}
* at ] ]
** {{cite web |url=http://giffords.house.gov/2010%2007%2007%20Border%20Security%20Action%20Plan.pdf |title=Congresswoman Giffords Action Plan to Improve Border Security |access-date=October 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722121756/http://giffords.house.gov/2010%2007%2007%20Border%20Security%20Action%20Plan.pdf |archive-date=July 22, 2011 }}
*
* ''official campaign website''
*
{{CongLinks | congbio=g000554 | votesmart=28507 | fec=H6AZ08038 | congress= }}
*
* at ]
* in ''USAA Magazine: A Member's Guide to Financial Security'' (]), Spring 2009, p.&nbsp;32 (back cover).
*
* Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Giffords PAC
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429080058/http://www.makers.com/gabrielle-giffords |date=April 29, 2014}} Video produced by '']''
* {{TED speaker|mark_kelly_and_gabby_giffords}}
* {{C-SPAN|1021830}}


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Latest revision as of 03:24, 7 January 2025

American politician and gun control activist (born 1970) For the U.S. Navy vessel, see USS Gabrielle Giffords.

Gabby Giffords
Giffords in 2022
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 8th district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 25, 2012
Preceded byJim Kolbe
Succeeded byRon Barber
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 28th district
In office
January 8, 2003 – December 1, 2005
Preceded byRandall Gnant
Succeeded byPaula Aboud
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 13th district
In office
January 1, 2001 – January 8, 2003
Preceded byAndy Nichols
Succeeded bySteve Gallardo
Personal details
BornGabrielle Dee Giffords
(1970-06-08) June 8, 1970 (age 54)
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (since 2000)
Other political
affiliations
Republican (1988–2000)
Spouse Mark Kelly ​(m. 2007)
RelativesGwyneth Paltrow, Jake Paltrow (second cousins)
EducationScripps College (BA)
Cornell University (MRP)
Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022)
SignatureGabrielle Giffords
Gabby Giffords's voice Giffords honors the work of the Arizona HIDTA task force
Recorded April 21, 2010

Gabrielle Dee Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American retired politician and gun control activist. She served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Arizona's 8th congressional district from January 2007 until January 2012, when she resigned because of a severe brain injury suffered during an assassination attempt. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress.

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Giffords graduated from Scripps College and Cornell University. After initially moving to New York City, where she worked in regional economic development for Price Waterhouse, she returned to Arizona to work as the CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a family business started by her grandfather. She served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 until 2003 and the Arizona Senate from 2003 until 2005 when she was elected to the U.S. House.

She had just begun her third term in January 2011 when she was shot in the head in an assassination attempt and mass shooting just outside of Tucson during an event with constituents. Giffords has since recovered much of her ability to walk, speak, read, and write. She was greeted by a standing ovation upon her return to the House floor in August 2011. She attended President Obama's State of the Union address on January 24, 2012, and appeared on the floor of the House the following day, at which time she formally submitted her resignation, receiving a standing ovation and accolades from her colleagues and the leadership of the House.

Though a moderate on the issue during her time in Congress, Giffords has since become an ardent advocate for gun control. In January 2013, she and her husband launched Americans for Responsible Solutions, a non-profit organization and Super-PAC which later joined with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to become the organization Giffords. She is married to former Space Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly, who is the junior senator from Arizona.

Early life and education

Gabrielle Dee Giffords was born on June 8, 1970 and grew up in Tucson, Arizona; her parents were Gloria Kay (née Fraser) and Spencer J. Giffords. She was raised in a mixed religious environment, as her mother was a Christian Scientist and her father was Jewish. Her paternal grandfather, Akiba Hornstein, was a Jewish emigrant from Lithuania who changed his name to Giffords to avoid anti-Semitism in the United States. Through her father, Giffords is a second cousin of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow.

Giffords graduated from Tucson's University High School. She is a former Girl Scout. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Latin American History from Scripps College in California in 1993; and spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar in Chihuahua, Mexico. She returned to graduate school, earning a Master's degree in Regional Planning from Cornell University in 1996. She focused her studies on Mexican-American relations.

Giffords worked as an associate for regional economic development at Price Waterhouse in New York City. In 1996, she became president and CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a local chain of auto service centers founded by her grandfather. The business was sold to Goodyear Tire in 2000. At the time of the sale, she commented on the difficulties local businesses face when competing against large national firms.

Since 2001, she has practiced Judaism exclusively and belongs to Congregation Chaverim, a Reform synagogue, in Tucson.

Arizona legislature

Elections

Giffords switched her party affiliation from Republican to Democratic in 2000 and was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2001. She was elected to the Arizona Senate in the fall of 2002, at the time the youngest woman elected to that body. She took office in January 2003 and was re-elected in 2004. She resigned from the Arizona Senate on December 1, 2005, in preparation for her congressional campaign.

Tenure

In early 2005, Giffords observed that "the 2004 election took its toll on our bipartisan coalition" and that as a result "a number of significant problems will receive far less attention than they deserve." She highlighted among these, the lack of high-paying jobs or necessary infrastructure, rapid growth, and inward migration that threatened the environment and "strain ... education, health care, and transportation", and unresolved problems such as Students First; Arnold v. Sarn; repayments due under Ladewig v. Arizona; the No Child Left Behind mandate; low educational achievement; health care costs; and the demands of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. She said that Arizona was not alone in facing such challenges.

Expanding health care access was an issue pursued by Giffords when she served in the legislature. She also pushed for bills related to mental health and was named by the Mental Health Association of Arizona as the 2004 Legislator of the Year. Giffords earned the Sierra Club's Most Valuable Player award.

In the legislature, Giffords worked on the bipartisan Children's Caucus, which sought to improve education and health care for Arizona's children. Critics of this plan argued that it amounted to taxpayer-funded daycare. She worked with Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to promote all-day kindergarten. Giffords supported raising more money for schools "through sponsorship of supplemental state aid through bonds and tax credits that could be used for school supplies." She was awarded Arizona Family Literacy's Outstanding Legislator for 2003.

U.S. House of Representatives

Giffords in 2008

Elections

2006
See also: 2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election

Giffords launched her first candidacy for the U.S. Congress on January 24, 2006. The campaign received national attention early on as the seat was considered a likely pick-up for the Democratic Party. Prominent Democrats, including Tom Daschle, Robert Reich, Janet Napolitano, and Bill Clinton, endorsed her. EMILY's List endorsed Giffords early in the campaign cycle. The Sierra Club and the Arizona Education Association also endorsed her. On September 12, 2006, Giffords won her party's nomination in the primary election.

Her Republican opponent in the general election was Randy Graf, a conservative former state senator known for his enforcement-only position on immigration and illegal aliens. Graf had run against Jim Kolbe in the 2004 GOP primary and had announced his candidacy in 2006 before Kolbe announced his retirement. The Republican establishment was somewhat cool toward Graf, believing he might be too conservative for the district. The national GOP took the unusual step of endorsing one of the more moderate candidates in the primary. Graf won anyway, helped by a split in the Republican moderate vote between two candidates.

Not long after the primary, Congressional Quarterly changed its rating of the race to "Leans Democrat". By late September, the national GOP had pulled most of its funding, effectively conceding the seat to Giffords. Giffords won the race on November 7, 2006, with 54 percent of the vote. Graf received 42 percent. The rest of the vote went to minor candidates. Giffords's victory was portrayed as evidence that Americans are accepting towards comprehensive immigration reform. She was the first Jewish woman elected to Congress from Arizona.

2008
See also: 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona § District 8

In 2008, Giffords was elected to a second term. Republican Tim Bee, a childhood classmate and former colleague in the Arizona State Senate, ran against her. Bee was the President of the Arizona State Senate and considered a strong challenger in this race. Despite native son John McCain's running as the Republican presidential candidate, Giffords was reelected with 56.20 percent of the vote to Bee's 41.45 percent.

2010
Giffords during a press conference following her 2010 election victory
See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona § District 8

On November 5, 2010, Giffords was declared the victor after a close race against Republican Jesse Kelly. Kelly, an Iraq War veteran (and not related to Mark Kelly), was listed as a top-ten Tea Party candidate to watch by Politico, and described by The Arizona Republic as highly conservative even compared to Sarah Palin. Giffords had been targeted for defeat by Sarah Palin's political action committee, SarahPAC.

Giffords participated in the reading of the United States Constitution on the floor of the House of Representatives on January 6, 2011; she read the First Amendment.

Tenure

Giffords in 2008

Following the November 2006 election, Giffords was sworn in as a congresswoman on January 3, 2007. She was the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to serve in the U.S. Congress. In her inaugural speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, Giffords advocated a comprehensive immigration reform package, including modern technology to secure the border, more border patrol agents, tough employer sanctions for businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants, and a guest-worker program. In her first month in office, Giffords voted in favor of increased federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research; raising the minimum wage; endorsing the 9/11 Commission recommendations; new rules for the House of Representatives targeting ethical issues; and the repeal of $14 billion of subsidies to big oil companies, in favor of renewable energy subsidies and the founding of the Strategic Renewable Energy Reserve.

During the 2007 session of Congress, Giffords introduced a bill (H.R. 1441) that forbids the sale of F-14 aircraft parts on the open market to prevent them from being acquired by Iran. Giffords advocated for a national day of recognition for cowboys as one of her first actions. She voted for the contentious May 2007 Iraq Emergency Supplemental Spending bill, saying, "I cannot, in good conscience, allow the military to run out of money while American servicemen and women are being attacked every day". She has also been a Girl Scout supporter for many years. On April 21, 2007 (the same day Giffords hosted her third "Congress on Your Corner" in Tucson, Arizona) she also spoke at the Sahuaro Girl Scout Council Annual Meeting.

In the 2011 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election, Giffords was one of 18 Democrats to cast their vote for someone other than Nancy Pelosi (the leader of the House Democratic Caucus). Giffords cast her vote for Congressman John Lewis. Arizona's two other Democratic House members voted for Pelosi. Giffords's spokesperson characterized her vote for Lewis, "signal her desire for courageous leadership and high moral standards at a critical time in our nation’s history," citing Lewis as being, "one of our nation’s most prominent civil rights leaders and a hero to all Americans."

Giffords was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democrat Coalition. She was a co-founder of the Congressional Motorcycle Safety Caucus. Until her husband's retirement, she was the only member of the U.S. Congress whose spouse was an active duty member of the U.S. military. She is also known as a strong proponent of solar energy as well as for her work to secure the Mexico–United States border.

Committee assignments

Attempted assassination

Main article: 2011 Tucson shooting
Roadside sign at the scene of the shooting

On January 8, 2011, Giffords was shot in the head outside a Safeway grocery store in Casas Adobes, Arizona, a suburban area northwest of Tucson, during her first "Congress on Your Corner" (a public opportunity for constituents to speak directly with their representatives) gathering of the year. A man ran up to the crowd and began firing a 9mm pistol with a 33-round magazine. The gunman hit 19 individuals with gunfire, killing six of them. Among the dead were federal judge John Roll and 9-year-old child Christina-Taylor Green. Green was the granddaughter of MLB baseball manager and GM Dallas Green. A 20th person was injured at the scene, but not by gunfire.

The shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, was detained by bystanders until he was taken into police custody. Federal officials charged Loughner on the next day with killing federal government employees, attempting to assassinate a member of Congress, and attempting to kill federal employees. After eventually facing more than 50 federal criminal charges, Loughner pleaded guilty to 19 of them in a plea bargain to avoid a death sentence.

Giffords's intern, Daniel Hernández Jr., provided first-aid assistance to her immediately after she was wounded, and is credited with saving her life. She was quickly evacuated to the University Medical Center of Tucson in critical condition, though she was still conscious and "following commands".

On the same day doctors performed emergency surgery to extract skull fragments and a small amount of necrotic tissue from her brain. The bullet passed through Giffords's head without crossing the midline of the brain, where the most critical injuries typically result. Part of her skull was removed to avoid further damage to the brain from pressure caused by swelling. Doctors who first treated Giffords said the bullet entered the back of her head and exited through the front of her skull, but physicians later concluded that it had traveled in the opposite direction.

Upon receiving a call from a staffer about Giffords's injury, her husband Mark Kelly and his daughters flew in a friend's aircraft directly from Houston to Tucson.

Recovery

Giffords was initially placed in an induced coma to allow her brain to rest. She was able to respond to simple commands when periodically awakened, but was unable to speak as she was on a ventilator. Nancy Pelosi (the House minority leader) shared that Giffords's husband Mark Kelly had acknowledged that there was a "rough road ahead" in her recovery, but that he was encouraged by her responsiveness, including her ability to signal with her hand and move both arms. U.S. Army neurologist Geoffrey Ling of the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland, was sent to Tucson to consult on Giffords's condition. Ling stated, "Her prognosis for maintaining the function that she has is very good. It's over 50 percent." On January 11, neurosurgeon G. Michael Lemole Jr. said that Giffords's sedation had been reduced and that she could breathe on her own. On January 12, President Barack Obama visited Giffords at the medical center and publicly stated in an evening memorial ceremony that she had "opened her eyes for the first time" that day. Shortly after the shootings, some questions were raised by the media as to whether Giffords could be removed from office under a state law that allows a public office to be declared vacant if the officeholder is absent for three months, but a spokesperson for the Arizona secretary of state said the statute "doesn't apply to federal offices" and was, therefore, not relevant.

As Giffords's status improved, by mid-January she began simple physical therapy, including sitting up with the assistance of hospital staff and moving her legs upon command. On January 15, surgeons performed a tracheotomy, replacing the ventilator tube with a smaller one inserted through Giffords's throat to assist independent breathing. Ophthalmologist Lynn Polonski surgically repaired Giffords's damaged eye socket, with additional reconstructive surgery to follow. Giffords's condition improved from "critical" to "serious" on January 17, and to "good" on January 25. She was transferred on January 21 to the Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston, Texas, where she subsequently moved to the TIRR Memorial Hermann to undergo a program of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Medical experts' initial assessment in January was that Giffords's recovery could take from several months to more than one year. Upon her arrival in Houston, her doctors were optimistic, saying she has "great rehabilitation potential".

On March 12, 2011, Giffords's husband informed her that six other people had been killed in the attack on her, but he did not identify who they were until months later. In late April, Giffords's doctors reported that her physical, cognitive, and language production abilities had improved significantly, placing her in the top 5 percent of patients recovering from similar injuries. She was walking under supervision with perfect control of her left arm and leg, and able to write with her left hand. She was able to read and understand, and spoke in short phrases. With longer efforts, she was able to produce more complex sentences.

From early in her recovery, Giffords's husband had expressed confidence that she would be able to travel to the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, to witness the launch of his final Space Shuttle mission, STS-134, which was scheduled for April 2011. On April 25, Giffords's doctors cleared her for travel to Florida for the launch, scheduled for April 29. She went to Florida to watch from a private family area with no public appearance or photography. The launch of STS-134 was delayed due to mechanical problems, and Giffords and Kelly returned to Houston after meeting with President Obama, who had also planned to see the launch with his family at Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

After continuing her rehabilitation therapy in Houston, Giffords returned to KSC for her husband's launch on May 16, 2011. Kelly wore his wife's wedding ring into space, which she had exchanged for his.

August 1, 2011: Giffords's first appearance in the House of Representatives since her attempted assassination

Giffords underwent cranioplasty surgery on May 18, 2011, to replace the part of her skull that had been removed in January to permit her brain to swell after the gunshot to her head. Surgeons replaced the bone with a piece of molded hard plastic, fixed with tiny screws. They expected that her skull would eventually fuse with the porous plastic. From that point, Giffords no longer needed to wear the helmet that she had been wearing to protect her brain from further injury. On June 9, 2011, her aide Pia Carusone announced that while Giffords's comprehension appeared to be "close to normal, if not normal", she was not yet using complete sentences. On June 12, two photos of Giffords taken on May 17 were released, the first since the shooting. On June 15, Giffords was released from the hospital to return home, where she continued speech, music, physical and occupational therapy. Having learned the French horn as a child, she picked it up again as part of her music therapy and in August 2020 spoke about that experience in a speech endorsing Joe Biden's presidential bid.

On August 1, 2011, she made her return to the House floor to vote in favor of raising the debt limit ceiling. She was met with a standing ovation and accolades from her fellow members of Congress. A Giffords spokesman, Mark Kimble, stated in August 2011 that the congresswoman was walking without a cane and was writing left-handed, as she did not have full use of her right side. On October 6, Giffords traveled to Washington for her husband's retirement ceremony, where she presented him with the Distinguished Flying Cross medal. She returned to her husband's Texas home. On October 25, 2011, she travelled to Asheville, North Carolina, for intensive rehabilitation treatments, ending November 4. In Kelly's memoir, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, released in November 2011, he reported that Giffords would return to Congress. As of 2016, she continued to struggle with language and had lost fifty percent of her vision in both eyes.

Resignation from Congress

Giffords embracing President Obama at the 2012 State of the Union Address

On January 22, 2012, Giffords announced in a video statement that she intended to resign her seat so that she could focus on her recovery. She attended President Obama's 2012 State of the Union Address on January 24, and formally submitted her resignation on January 25. Appearing on the floor of the House, after the last bill she sponsored was brought to a vote and unanimously passed, Giffords was lauded by members of Congress and the majority and minority leaders who spoke in tribute to her strength and accomplishment in an unusual farewell ceremony. Her letter of resignation was read on her behalf by her close friend and fellow Democratic representative, Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Post-congressional activities

Giffords being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden in July 2022

A joint memoir by Giffords and her husband, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, with co-author Jeffrey Zaslow, was published on November 15, 2011. Giffords and Kelly were interviewed by ABC's Diane Sawyer in their first joint interview since the shooting, which aired on a special edition of 20/20 on November 14, 2011, in conjunction with the book's publication.

Giffords has made appearances at the four Democratic National Conventions held since she left congress. On September 6, 2012, Giffords led the Pledge of Allegiance at that evening's meeting of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Giffords delivered a speech in support of presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. For the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Giffords delivered a speech supporting presidential nominee Joe Biden and urging action on gun control. At the 2024 Democratic National Convention held in Chicago, Illinois, she again spoke for gun safety and reform.

After her shooting, Giffords became an advocate for anti-gun-violence causes. In 2013, shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Giffords and her husband founded the nonprofit and super PAC Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS) to support pro-gun control candidates. In 2017 the organization was reorganized, becoming Giffords.

In January 2013, Giffords still had difficulty speaking and walking, and her right arm was paralyzed. She continued to undergo speech and physical therapy. On January 8, 2014, Giffords marked the third anniversary of the shooting by going skydiving. Giffords said on an interview with the Today show, "Oh, wonderful sky. Gorgeous mountain. Blue skies. I like a lot. A lot of fun. Peaceful, so peaceful." As of 2022, Giffords continues to experience the aphasia, a disorder which diminishes her ability to communicate her thoughts through spoken language. She co-founded the organization Friends of Aphasia as a support group for others suffering the disorder.

The White House awarded Giffords the Presidential Medal of Freedom on July 7, 2022. She was the Grand Marshal of the 2023 Rose Parade and presided over the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl game.

Personal life

Giffords with husband Mark Kelly in 2016

Giffords married U.S. Navy captain and NASA astronaut Mark Kelly on November 10, 2007. Kelly was the Space Shuttle's pilot on the STS-108 and STS-121 missions, was the commander of STS-124 and STS-134, and became a U.S. Senator for Arizona in 2020.

Giffords is a former member of the Arizona regional board of the Anti-Defamation League. After Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, Giffords spent time as a volunteer in Houston, Texas, in relief efforts for hurricane victims. She wrote about her experience in the Tucson Citizen.

Prior to her injury, Giffords was an avid reader, and was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition on July 9, 2006, talking about her love of books. She was periodically interviewed in 2007 together with Illinois Republican Peter Roskam on NPR's All Things Considered. The series focused on their experiences as freshman members of the 110th Congress.

Political positions

Economy

Giffords voted against President Bush's Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. Giffords was one of 60 lawmakers who voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 during its first House vote before switching to a yes vote in its second House vote, and she voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

In August 2011, she voted in favor of raising the U.S. debt ceiling.

Education

Giffords argued that Americans are competing on a global level and that this competition starts in the classroom. She was a critic of the No Child Left Behind law, arguing that it imposed an unfunded federal mandate. She also identified herself as a being a supporter of public schools and improved to their efficiency.

Energy

Giffords strongly supported renewable energy (especially solar energy) as a top public policy priority. In September 2007, she published a report titled: The Community Solar Energy Initiative, Solar Energy in Southern Arizona in which it was noted that Arizona has enough sunshine to power the entire United States. The report reviewed current energy usage and discussed ways to increase the production of solar electricity. On August 1, 2008, she wrote to congressional leaders regarding tax credits that were set to expire, arguing that failure to extend the scheme would be extremely harmful to the renewable energy industry "just as it is beginning to take off".

Immigration and border security

Representative Giffords speaking with a military officer in July 2010

During Giffords's tenure in the House, Arizona's 8th congressional district was one of ten in the country bordering Mexico. In 2010, Giffords stated that the Arizona SB 1070 legislation was a "clear calling that the federal government needs to do a better job" and said that she hoped that the legislation would serve as a wake-up call to the federal government. However, she stopped short of supporting the law itself, saying that it "does nothing to secure our border" and that it "stands in direct contradiction to our past and, as a result, threatens our future". She also expressed concern that SB1070 was hurting the state's ability to attract students and businesses.

On August 31, 2010, Giffords praised the arrival of National Guard troops on the border: "Arizonans have waited a long time for the deployment of the National Guard in our state. Their arrival represents a renewed national commitment to protecting our border communities from drug cartels and smugglers."

Giffords worked to secure passage of the August 2010 bill to fund more Border Patrol agents and surveillance technology for Arizona's border with Mexico. The legislation passed the House of Representatives only to be sent back by the U.S. Senate with reduced funding. Ultimately a $600-million bill was passed and signed into law. The bill was over $100 million less than Giffords fought for, but she said, "This funding signals a stronger federal commitment to protect those Americans who live and work near the border."

In 2008, Giffords introduced legislation that would have increased the cap on the H-1B visa from 65,000 per year to 130,000 per year. If that were not sufficient, according to her legislation, the cap would have been increased to 180,000 per year. The bill would have allowed, at most, 50% of employees at any given company with at least 50 employees to be H-1B guest workers. Giffords said the bill would help high-tech companies in southern Arizona, some of which rely on H-1B employees. However, Giffords's bill was never voted on by the House of Representatives.

Gun control

In 2008, before being shot, Giffords opposed prohibitions in Washington, D.C., on the possession of handguns in the home and having usable firearms there, signing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller to support its overturn.

In January 2013, Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly started a political action committee called Americans for Responsible Solutions whose mission was to promote gun-control legislation with elected officials and the general public. The couple supports "keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people like criminals, terrorists, and the mentally ill". In 2016, the Legal Community Against Violence merged with Americans for Responsible Solutions and the organization changed its name to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in 2017.

Other proposals from Giffords and Kelly include limiting the sale of certain magazines, limiting the sale of assault weapons, and stopping gun trafficking.

Giffords was a surprise witness at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence on January 30, 2013. In a halting voice, she called for Congress to pass tougher laws on guns, saying "too many children are dying." Giffords is right-handed; her speech therapist had to write out her statement for her since her right arm was paralyzed in the shooting.

In 2017, after the Las Vegas shooting that killed 58 and injured 546, she implored lawmakers to take action, saying she "knows the horror of gun violence all too well".

Giffords spoke on the third night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, urging action on gun control. She worked with a speech therapist for months in preparation for the speech, and also performed "America" on the French horn, an instrument she had played as a teen, as a symbol of her recovery.

In 2022, she founded the Giffords Center for Violence Intervention to promote "evidence-based, community-driven strategies to reduce gun violence" and assist communities in community violence intervention efforts.

In 2023, Giffords at the end of an interview said "No more guns," and plans to achieve that by "Legislation, legislation, legislation."

Giffords endorsed Kamala Harris' campaigns for U.S. senate in 2016 and president in 2024, saying at an event on July 25, 2024, that the upcoming election was a "choice between Harris, who would sign a ban on assault weapons, and more gun violence under Donald Trump, who gun-rights groups back."

Naming honors

Main article: USS Gabrielle Giffords

It was announced by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, on February 10, 2012, that the next U.S. Navy littoral combat ship would be named USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10). Giffords, still recovering from injuries sustained in the 2011 assassination attempt, attended the ship's keel-laying ceremony and etched her initials into a plate welded into the ship.

USS Gabrielle Giffords was christened at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, on June 13, 2015. Giffords attended the christening ceremony, along with Second Lady of the United States Jill Biden, who served as the ship's sponsor. The ship was commissioned on June 12, 2017, at Port of Galveston, Texas.

Some commentators have noted that several ships in the U.S. Navy, including Henry M. Jackson, Carl Vinson, John C. Stennis, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush were named for prominent politicians who were still alive at the time of the naming. A subsequent Navy report on the naming noted that Secretary Mabus considered honoring Giffords and other victims of the Tucson shooting by naming LCS-10 after the city of Tucson, consistent with the practice of naming littoral combat ships for U.S. cities, but this was not possible because USS Tucson, an active Los Angeles-class submarine, already bears the name.

Electoral history

Arizona's 8th Congressional District House Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gabrielle Giffords 137,655 54.26%
Republican Randy Graf 106,790 42.09%
Libertarian David F. Nolan 4,849 1.91%
Independent Jay Quick 4,408 1.74%
Arizona's 8th Congressional District House Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gabrielle Giffords (incumbent) 179,629 54.72% +0.46%
Republican Tim Bee 140,553 42.82% +0.73%
Libertarian Paul Davis 8,081 2.46% +0.55%
Arizona's 8th Congressional District House Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gabrielle Giffords (incumbent) 138,280 48.76% −5.96%
Republican Jesse Kelly 134,124 47.30% +4.48%
Libertarian Steven Stoltz 11,174 3.94% +1.48%

See also

References

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