Gabby Giffords | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Giffords in 2022 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromArizona's8th district | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 25, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Kolbe |
| Succeeded by | Ron Barber |
| Member of theArizona Senate from the28th district | |
| In office January 8, 2003 – December 1, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Randall Gnant |
| Succeeded by | Paula Aboud |
| Member of theArizona House of Representatives from the13th district | |
| In office January 1, 2001 – January 8, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Andy Nichols |
| Succeeded by | Steve Gallardo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gabrielle Dee Giffords (1970-06-08)June 8, 1970 (age 54) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (since 2000) |
| Other political affiliations | Republican (1988–2000) |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Gwyneth Paltrow,Jake Paltrow (second cousins) |
| Education | Scripps College (BA) Cornell University (MRP) |
| Awards | .svg) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022) |
| Signature |  |
Giffords honors the work of the ArizonaHIDTA task force Recorded April 21, 2010 | |
Gabrielle Dee Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American retired politician andgun control activist. She served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives representingArizona's 8th congressional district from January 2007 until January 2012, when she resigned because of a severe brain injury suffered duringan assassination attempt. A member of theDemocratic Party, she was the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress.
Born and raised inTucson, Arizona, Giffords graduated fromScripps College andCornell University. After initially moving to New York City, where she worked in regional economic development forPrice Waterhouse, she returned to Arizona to work as theCEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a family business started by her grandfather. She served in theArizona House of Representatives from 2001 until 2003 and theArizona 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 anassassination attempt and mass shooting just outside of Tucson during an event withconstituents. 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'sState of the Union address on January 24, 2012, and appeared on thefloor 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 amoderate 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 launchedAmericans for Responsible Solutions, a non-profit organization andSuper-PAC which later joined with theLaw Center to Prevent Gun Violence to become the organizationGiffords. She is married to formerSpace Shuttle CommanderMark Kelly, who is the seniorsenator from Arizona.
Gabrielle Dee Giffords was born on June 8, 1970, and grew up inTucson, Arizona;[1] her parents were Gloria Kay (née Fraser) and Spencer J. Giffords. She was raised in a mixed religious environment, as her mother was aChristian Scientist and her father was Jewish. Her paternal grandfather, Akiba Hornstein, was a Jewish emigrant fromLithuania who changed his name to Giffords to avoidanti-Semitism in the United States.[2] Through her father, Giffords is a second cousin of actressGwyneth Paltrow and directorJake Paltrow.[3]
Giffords graduated from Tucson'sUniversity High School. She is a formerGirl Scout. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology andLatin American History fromScripps College in California in 1993;[4] and spent a year as aFulbright Scholar inChihuahua, Mexico.[5] She returned to graduate school, earning aMaster's degree in Regional Planning fromCornell University in 1996. She focused her studies onMexican-American relations.[4]
Giffords worked as an associate for regional economic development atPrice Waterhouse in New York City. In 1996, she became president and CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a local chain ofauto service centers founded by her grandfather. The business was sold toGoodyear Tire in 2000. At the time of the sale, she commented on the difficulties local businesses face when competing against large national firms.[6]
Since 2001, she has practiced Judaism exclusively and belongs to Congregation Chaverim, aReform synagogue, in Tucson.[7][8]
Giffords switched her party affiliation from Republican to Democratic in 2000 and was elected to theArizona House of Representatives in 2001.[9] She was elected to theArizona 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.
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[ed] ... education, health care, and transportation", and unresolved problems such as Students First;Arnold v. Sarn; repayments due underLadewig v. Arizona; theNo Child Left Behind mandate; low educational achievement; health care costs; and the demands of theArizona Health Care Cost Containment System. She said that Arizona was not alone in facing such challenges.[10]
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 theSierra Club's Most Valuable Player award.[11]
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 GovernorJanet 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.[12]
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, includingTom Daschle,Robert Reich, Janet Napolitano, andBill Clinton, endorsed her.EMILY's List endorsed Giffords early in the campaign cycle.[13] The Sierra Club and the Arizona Education Association also endorsed her.[14] On September 12, 2006, Giffords won her party's nomination in the primary election.
Her Republican opponent in the general election wasRandy Graf, a conservative former state senator known for his enforcement-only position on immigration andillegal aliens. Graf had run againstJim 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.[15] She was the firstJewish woman elected to Congress from Arizona.[16][17]
In 2008, Giffords was elected to a second term. RepublicanTim Bee, a childhood classmate and former colleague in the Arizona State Senate, ran against her. Bee was the President of theArizona State Senate and considered a strong challenger in this race. Despite native sonJohn McCain's running as the Republican presidential candidate, Giffords was reelected with 56.20 percent of the vote to Bee's 41.45 percent.[18]
On November 5, 2010, Giffords was declared the victor after a close race against Republican Jesse Kelly.[19] Kelly, anIraq War veteran (and not related to Mark Kelly), was listed as a top-tenTea Party candidate to watch byPolitico, and described byThe Arizona Republic as highly conservative even compared toSarah Palin.[20] Giffords had been targeted for defeat by Sarah Palin's political action committee,SarahPAC.[21]
Giffords participated in the reading of theUnited States Constitution on the floor of theHouse of Representatives on January 6, 2011; she read theFirst Amendment.[22][23]
Following theNovember 2006 election, Giffords was sworn in as acongresswoman 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.[24] In her first month in office, Giffords voted in favor of increased federal funding forembryonic stem-cell research;[25] raising theminimum wage;[26] endorsing the9/11 Commission recommendations;[26] new rules for the House of Representatives targeting ethical issues;[27] and the repeal of $14 billion of subsidies to big oil companies, in favor ofrenewable energy subsidies and the founding of the Strategic Renewable Energy Reserve.[26]
During the 2007 session of Congress, Giffords introduced a bill (H.R. 1441)[28] that forbids the sale ofF-14 aircraft parts on the open market to prevent them from being acquired byIran.[29] Giffords advocated for anational day of recognition forcowboys as one of her first actions.[30] She voted for the contentiousMay 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".[31] She has also been aGirl 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.[32][33]
In the2011 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election, Giffords was one of 18 Democrats to cast their vote for someone other thanNancy Pelosi (the leader of theHouse Democratic Caucus). Giffords cast her vote for CongressmanJohn Lewis.[34] Arizona's two other Democratic House members voted for Pelosi. Giffords's spokesperson characterized her vote for Lewis, "signal[ing] 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."[35]
Giffords was a member of theBlue Dog Coalition and theNew Democrat Coalition. She was a co-founder of theCongressional 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 ofsolar energy as well as for her work to secure theMexico–United States border.[36][37]
On January 8, 2011, Giffords was shot in the head[38] outside aSafeway grocery store inCasas 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)[39] gathering of the year.[40] A man ran up to the crowd and began firing a9mm pistol with a33-round magazine.[41][42] The gunman hit 19 individuals with gunfire, killing six of them.[43] Among the dead were federal judgeJohn Roll and 9-year-old child Christina-Taylor Green. Green was the granddaughter ofMLB baseball manager andGMDallas Green.[44][45][46] A 20th person was injured at the scene, but not by gunfire.[38][43]
The shooter,Jared Lee Loughner,[47] was detained by bystanders until he was taken into police custody.[48][49] 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.[50][51][52] After eventually facing more than 50 federal criminal charges, Loughner pleaded guilty to 19 of them in aplea bargain to avoid adeath sentence.[53]
Giffords's intern,Daniel Hernández Jr., provided first-aid assistance to her immediately after she was wounded, and is credited with saving her life.[54] She was quickly evacuated to theUniversity Medical Center of Tucson in critical condition,[55] though she was still conscious and "following commands".[38]
On the same day doctors performed emergency surgery to extract skull fragments and a small amount ofnecrotic tissue from her brain.[56] The bullet passed through Giffords's head without crossing the midline of the brain, where the most critical injuries typically result.[38]Part of her skull was removed to avoid further damage to the brain from pressure caused by swelling.[57] 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.[58]
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.[59][60]
Giffords was initially placed in aninduced 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 aventilator.[61] Nancy Pelosi (theHouse 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,[62] including her ability to signal with her hand and move both arms.[63] U.S. Army neurologist Geoffrey Ling of theUniformed 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."[64] On January 11, neurosurgeon G. Michael Lemole Jr. said that Giffords's sedation had been reduced and that she could breathe on her own.[65] On January 12, PresidentBarack 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.[66] 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.[67]
As Giffords's status improved, by mid-January she began simple physical therapy,[68] including sitting up with the assistance of hospital staff and moving her legs upon command.[68][60] On January 15, surgeons performed atracheotomy, replacing the ventilator tube with a smaller one inserted through Giffords's throat to assist independent breathing.[69][70] Ophthalmologist Lynn Polonski surgically repaired Giffords's damaged eye socket,[71] with additional reconstructive surgery to follow.[72] Giffords's condition improved from "critical" to "serious" on January 17,[73] and to "good" on January 25.[74] She was transferred on January 21 to theMemorial Hermann Medical Center inHouston, Texas, where she subsequently moved to theTIRR Memorial Hermann to undergo a program of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.[74][75] Medical experts' initial assessment in January was that Giffords's recovery could take from several months to more than one year.[76] Upon her arrival in Houston, her doctors were optimistic, saying she has "great rehabilitation potential".[77]
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.[78] 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.[79] 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.[79]
From early in her recovery, Giffords's husband had expressed confidence that she would be able to travel to theKennedy Space Center, Florida, to witness the launch of his final Space Shuttle mission,STS-134, which was scheduled for April 2011.[80] 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 atKennedy Space Center (KSC).[81][82]
After continuing her rehabilitation therapy in Houston,[83][84] 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.[85]
Giffords underwentcranioplasty 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.[86][87] 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.[88] On June 12, two photos of Giffords taken on May 17 were released, the first since the shooting.[89] On June 15, Giffords was released from the hospital to return home, where she continued speech, music, physical and occupational therapy.[90] 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.[91]
On August 1, 2011, she made her return to the House floor to vote in favor ofraising the debt limit ceiling. She was met with a standing ovation and accolades from her fellow members of Congress.[92] 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.[93] On October 6, Giffords traveled to Washington for her husband's retirement ceremony, where she presented him with theDistinguished Flying Cross medal. She returned to her husband's Texas home.[94] On October 25, 2011, she travelled toAsheville, North Carolina, for intensive rehabilitation treatments, ending November 4.[95] During her treatments in North Carolina, she stayed at theNorth Carolina Governor's Western Residence.[96] 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[update], she continued to struggle with language and had lost fifty percent of her vision in both eyes.[78]
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.[97] She attended President Obama's2012 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.[98][99]
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A joint memoir by Giffords and her husband,Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, with co-authorJeffrey Zaslow, was published on November 15, 2011.[100] Giffords and Kelly were interviewed byABC'sDiane Sawyer in their first joint interview since the shooting, which aired on a special edition of20/20 on November 14, 2011, in conjunction with the book's publication.[101]
Giffords has made appearances at the fourDemocratic National Conventions held since she left congress. On September 6, 2012, Giffords led thePledge of Allegiance at that evening's meeting of the2012 Democratic National Convention.[102] At the2016 Democratic National Convention, Giffords delivered a speech in support of presidential nomineeHillary Clinton.[103] For the2020 Democratic National Convention, Giffords delivered a speech supporting presidential nomineeJoe Biden and urging action on gun control.[104] At the2024 Democratic National Convention held inChicago, 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 theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Giffords and her husband founded thenonprofit andsuper PACAmericans for Responsible Solutions (ARS) to support pro-gun control candidates.[105] In 2017 the organization was reorganized, becomingGiffords.[106]
In January 2013, Giffords still had difficulty speaking and walking, and her right arm was paralyzed. She continued to undergo speech and physical therapy.[107] On January 8, 2014, Giffords marked the third anniversary of the shooting by goingskydiving. Giffords said on an interview with theToday show, "Oh, wonderful sky. Gorgeous mountain. Blue skies. I like a lot. A lot of fun. Peaceful, so peaceful."[108][109] As of 2022, Giffords continues to experience theaphasia, a disorder which diminishes her ability to communicate her thoughts through spoken language. She co-founded the organizationFriends of Aphasia as a support group for others suffering the disorder.[110]
TheWhite House awarded Giffords thePresidential Medal of Freedom on July 7, 2022.[111] She was the Grand Marshal of the 2023Rose Parade and presided over the Rose Parade and theRose Bowl game.[112]
Giffords marriedU.S. Navy captain andNASA astronautMark Kelly on November 10, 2007. Kelly was theSpace Shuttle's pilot on theSTS-108 andSTS-121 missions, was the commander ofSTS-124 andSTS-134,[113] and became a U.S. Senator for Arizona in 2020.
Giffords is a former member of the Arizona regional board of theAnti-Defamation League.[114] AfterHurricane 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 theTucson Citizen.[115]
Prior to her injury, Giffords was an avid reader, and was featured onNPR'sWeekend Edition on July 9, 2006, talking about her love of books.[116] She was periodically interviewed in 2007 together with Illinois RepublicanPeter Roskam on NPR'sAll Things Considered.[117] The series focused on their experiences as freshman members of the 110th Congress.[118]
Giffords voted against PresidentBush'sEconomic Stimulus Act of 2008.[30] Giffords was one of 60 lawmakers who voted against theEmergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 during its first House vote before switching to a yes vote in its second House vote,[119] and she voted for theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[120]
In August 2011, she voted in favor of raising the U.S.debt ceiling.[92]
Giffords argued that Americans are competing on a global level and that this competition starts in the classroom. She was a critic of theNo 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.[121]
Giffords strongly supported renewable energy (especially solar energy) as a top public policy priority.[122] 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.[123] On August 1, 2008, she wrote to congressional leaders regardingtax 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".[124]
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 theArizona SB 1070 legislation was a "clear calling that the federal government needs to do a better job"[125] 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.[126]
On August 31, 2010, Giffords praised the arrival ofNational 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."[127]
Giffords worked to secure passage of the August 2010 bill to fund moreBorder 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."[128]
In 2008, Giffords introduced legislation that would have increased the cap on theH-1B visa from 65,000 per year to 130,000 per year.[129] If that were not sufficient, according to her legislation, the cap would have been increased to 180,000 per year.[citation needed] 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.[130] Giffords said the bill would help high-tech companies in southern Arizona, some of which rely on H-1B employees.[130] However, Giffords's bill was never voted on by the House of Representatives.
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 anamicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court inDistrict of Columbia v. Heller to support its overturn.[131]
In January 2013, Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly started a political action committee calledAmericans 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".[132] In 2016, the Legal Community Against Violence merged with Americans for Responsible Solutions and the organization changed its name toGiffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in 2017.[133]
Other proposals from Giffords and Kelly include limiting the sale of certainmagazines, limiting the sale ofassault weapons, and stopping gun trafficking.[citation needed]
Giffords was a surprise witness at aSenate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence on January 30, 2013.[134] 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.[107]
In 2017, after theLas 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".[135][136][137][138]
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 theFrench horn, an instrument she had played as a teen, as a symbol of her recovery.[104]
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.[139]
In 2023, Giffords at the end of an interview said "No more guns," and plans to achieve that by "Legislation, legislation, legislation."[140]
Giffords endorsedKamala Harris' campaigns forU.S. senate in 2016 andpresident in 2024, saying at an event on July 25, 2024, that the upcomingelection was a "choice between Harris, who would sign a ban on assault weapons, and more gun violence underDonald Trump, who gun-rights groups back."[141][142]
It was announced bySecretary of the NavyRay Mabus, on February 10, 2012, that the nextU.S. Navylittoral combat ship would be namedUSS 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.[143]
USSGabrielle Giffords was christened at theAustal USA shipyard inMobile, Alabama, on June 13, 2015.[144][145] Giffords attended the christening ceremony, along withSecond Lady of the United StatesJill Biden, who served as the ship'ssponsor.[144][145] The ship wascommissioned on June 12, 2017, at Port of Galveston, Texas.[146]
Some commentators have noted that several ships in the U.S. Navy, includingHenry M. Jackson,Carl Vinson,John C. Stennis,Jimmy Carter,Ronald Reagan, andGeorge Bush were named for prominent politicians who were still alive at the time of the naming.[147][148] 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 becauseUSS Tucson, an activeLos Angeles-class submarine, already bears the name.[149]
| 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% | ||
| 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% | |
| 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% | |
Gabrielle Giffords' [paternal] grandmother and Gwyneth Paltrow's late [paternal] grandfather were brother and sister.
Ms. Giffords is the first Jewish woman elected to the House from her state.
| Arizona House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theArizona House of Representatives from the 13th district 2001–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Arizona Senate | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theArizona Senate from the 28th district 2003–2006 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromArizona's 8th congressional district 2007–2012 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former US Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative | Succeeded byas Former US Representative |
| Territorial (1863–1912) |
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| Districts (1949–present) (3rd district established in 1963) (4th district established in 1973) (5th district established in 1983) (6th district established in 1993) (7th and 8th districts established in 2003) (9th district established in 2013) |
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