Giffords to Quit Congress One Year After Being Shot in Head
January 25, 2012, 12:18 AM ESTBy Angela Greiling Keane
(Updates with comment from Obama in fourth paragraph.)
Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, shot in the head more than a year ago at a constituent event, said she will resign from Congress this week.
Giffords, a Democrat, said today in a statement that she needs time to focus on her recovery from the injuries and leaving now “is best for Arizona.” Giffords, 41, was among 19 people shot on Jan. 8, 2011, during a meeting at a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona. Six people died. She was elected in 2006 and would have stood for election to a fourth term in November.
“I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week,” Giffords, wearing a red suit and speaking slowly, said in a video posted on YouTube that reviewed her career. “I’m getting better every day. My spirit is high. I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country.”
President Barack Obama praised Giffords in a statement today and said her “willingness to listen to different ideas” from constituents “brought her to a supermarket in Tucson last year -- so she could carry their hopes and concerns to Washington.”
Obama said he’s “confident that we haven’t seen the last of this extraordinary American.”
House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, in a statement praised Gifford’s “courage and perseverance” after the weekend tragedy. “She will be missed,” Boehner said.
Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said he is saddened she decided to step down. Her action “put her constituents first” by ensuring “her state and district are fully represented,” he said.
Special Election
Giffords’ resignation will trigger a special election, to be set by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, that will determine a successor to fill the remainder of her term in Arizona’s 8th congressional district, which takes in most of Tucson. The district voted for Arizona Republican Senator John McCain over President Barack Obama by 52 percent to 46 percent in the 2008 presidential election. She’s one of 13 Democrats who represent districts that Obama didn’t win.
Giffords won a third term in 2010 by a margin of 1.5 percentage points.
Doctors transferred Giffords to a rehabilitation center where she has undergone brain surgery, facial reconstruction and therapy to regain her ability to walk and speak.
Before she leaves office, Giffords will “finish her Congress on Your Corner event that was interrupted” by gunfire a year ago, holding a private meeting with some people who attended the 2011 event, according to the statement.
Obama’s Speech
She will attend Obama’s State of the Union address Jan. 24, one of her last acts as a member, according to the statement.
Giffords surprised congressional colleagues in early August in an emotional return to the House to vote on raising the U.S. debt ceiling. She entered the chamber amid cheers that turned into a standing ovation.
After the Aug. 1 vote, colleagues and spectators in the packed visitors gallery greeted Giffords with a second standing ovation. She stood and waved. Democrats and Republicans rushed forward to greet her on the House floor, many hugging her. Her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, was alongside her as she left the chamber.
--With assistance from Greg Giroux, Kate Andersen Brower and Steve Geimann in Washington. Editors: Steve Geimann, Ann Hughey
To contact the reporter on this story: Angela Greiling Keane in Washington at agreilingkea@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steve Geimann at sgeimann@bloomberg.net
