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Gabby Giffords

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Gabrielle Dee "Gabby" Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American politician. She is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Arizona's 8th congressional district since 2007. The district encompasses the southeastern part of the state. It includes all of Cochise County and parts of Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz counties. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to serve in Congress.

Gabrielle Giffords
File:Giffordsofficial.JPG
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2007
Preceded byJim Kolbe
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 28th district
In office
January 8, 2003 – January 9, 2006
Succeeded byPaula Aboud
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 28th district
In office
January 1, 2001 – January 8, 2003
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMark E. Kelly
Residence(s)Tucson, Arizona
Alma materCornell University (M.U.P.)
Scripps College (B.A.)
ProfessionPolitician; businesswoman

A native of Tucson, Arizona, Giffords is a graduate of Cornell University and Scripps College. Prior to serving in Congress, Giffords served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 until 2003, and the Arizona State Senate from 2003 until 2005, when she resigned to run for the seat held by then-Congressman Jim Kolbe. She also worked as an associate for regional economic development in New York City, and as CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a local automotive chain. She has been married since 2007 to US astronaut and Space Shuttle commander Mark E. Kelly.

Giffords is serving her third term in the United States House of Representatives, having been reelected in the 2010 midterm elections. Her stance on health care reform and illegal immigration was a source of attention for those opposed to her candidacy, and has made her a recipient of criticism from various conservative groups.

On January 8, 2011, Giffords was one of several people shot at a Safeway supermarket near Tucson, Arizona where she was meeting publicly with constituents.[3] She was taken into emergency surgery,[4] in critical condition from a gunshot wound to the head.[5][6] After the surgery, a surgeon treating Giffords said that he was optimistic about her chance for recovery.[7]

Business career

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 automotive chain 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.[8]

Political career

Arizona State Senator and Representative

Giffords was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives and served from 2001 to 2003. She was elected to the Arizona Senate in the fall of 2002, and at the time was 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 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 noted that Arizona was not alone in facing such challenges.[9]

Expanding health care access was an issue of interest for 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 also earned the Sierra Club's Most Valuable Player award.[10]

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.[11]

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives

Following the September 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)[12] that forbids the sale of F-14 aircraft parts on the open market.[13] She also 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".[14]

Giffords is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democrat Coalition. She is the only member of the U.S. Congress whose spouse, astronaut Mark E. Kelly, is an active duty member of the U.S. military.[15] She is also known as a strong proponent of solar energy as well as for her work to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.[16][17]

Campaigns

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

Giffords launched her first candidacy for the U.S. Congress 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 Tom Daschle, Robert Reich, Janet Napolitano, and Bill Clinton. EMILY's List endorsed Giffords early in the campaign cycle.[18] The Sierra Club and the Arizona Education Association also endorsed her.[19] 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, and 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' victory was portrayed as evidence that Americans are accepting towards comprehensive immigration reform.[20]

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

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 then the Arizona State Senate President and was considered a strong challenger in this race. Despite the presence of McCain atop the ticket as the Republican presidential candidate, Giffords was reelected with 56.20 percent of the vote to Bee's 41.45 percent.[21]

2010
See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2010 § District 8

On November 5, 2010, the Associated Press declared Giffords the victor after a close race against Republican Jesse Kelly.[22] Kelly, an Iraq War veteran, was listed as a top ten Tea Party candidate to watch by Politico, and described by azcentral.com as highly conservative even compared to Sarah Palin.[23]

Committee assignments

Tucson shooting

Main article: 2011 Tucson shooting

On January 8, 2011, Giffords was shot in the head outside a Safeway grocery store in northwest Tucson during her first "Congress on Your Corner" gathering of the year. Eighteen people were shot, of whom six died,[24] when a man ran up to the crowd and began firing.[25] She was taken to the University Medical Center in Tucson for emergency surgery.[26] She has since been reported to be responding to doctors' commands.[6] The suspect, identified as Jared Lee Loughner,[27] was caught by a bystander and taken into police custody.[28]

Political positions

Abortion

Giffords is pro-choice, with a 100% rating from NARAL.[29]

Economy

Giffords voted for Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008,[30] and for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[31]

Bildung

Giffords argues that Americans are competing on a global level and that this competition starts in the classroom. She is a critic of the No Child Left Behind law, viewing it as an unfunded federal mandate. She supports public schools and their improved efficiency.[citation needed]

Energy

Giffords strongly supports renewable energy, in particular solar energy, as a top public policy priority.[32]

In September 2007 she published a report titled: The Community Solar Energy Initiative, Solar Energy in Southern Arizona, observing that Arizona has enough sunshine to power the entire United States. It reviews current energy usage and discusses how to increase the production of solar electricity.[33] On 1 August 2008 she wrote to congressional leaders regarding tax credits that were set to expire, saying that failure to extend the scheme would be extremely harmful to the renewable energy industry "just as it is beginning to take off."[34]

Gun rights

Giffords supports gun rights.[35] She opposed the Washington D.C. gun ban, signing an Amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to support its overturn.[35][36] She has a D+ rating from the NRA[37] and a D- from the GOA.[38]

Immigration and border security

 
Rep. Giffords with the Commandant of the Coast Guard

Arizona's 8th Congressional District is one of 10 in the country bordering Mexico. Giffords has stated that the Arizona SB1070 legislation is a "clear calling that the federal government needs to do a better job"[39] and saying that she hopes the legislation acts 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 claimed that SB1070 kept Arizona from attracting students and businesses.[40]

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."[41]

Giffords worked to secure passage of the August 2010 bill to 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 in to law. The bill was over $100 million less than Giffords fought for, but she said that "This funding signals a stronger federal commitment to protect those Americans who live and work near the border."[42]

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.[43] If that were not sufficient, according to her legislation, the cap would have been increased to 180,000 per year.[44] 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.[45] A large number of H-1B visas are used by outsourcing companies, as five of the top ten users of the visa are regularly outsourcing corporations.[46] Giffords claimed the bill would help high-tech companies in southern Arizona, some of which rely on H1-B employees.[45] Giffords' bill was never voted on by the House of Representatives.

Bildung

Giffords graduated from Tucson's University High School. She received a B.A. in Sociology and Latin American history from Scripps College[47] in Claremont, California, in 1993, and a Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University[48] in Ithaca, New York, in 1996. She focused her studies on Mexico–United States relations while at Cornell. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1996 and a fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Personal life

Giffords was born in Tucson, Arizona, to Gloria Kay (née Fraser) and Spencer J. Giffords. Her father is the first cousin of director Bruce Paltrow, whose daughter is actress Gwyneth Paltrow.[49] Giffords was raised in a mixed religious environment by her Jewish father and Christian Science-practicing mother. She has identified herself solely with Judaism since 2001, belonging to Congregation Chaverim, a Reform synagogue, in Tucson.[2][1] She is Arizona's first Jewish Congresswoman.[50][51] She married U.S. Navy Captain and astronaut Mark E. Kelly on November 10, 2007. He was the space shuttle's pilot on STS-108 and STS-121, and commander of STS-124[52] and future flight STS-134 (scheduled for April 2011), the penultimate flight of the space shuttle program before its planned end in 2011.

After Hurricane Katrina struck in the late summer of 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.[53]

Giffords is an avid reader and was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition on July 9, 2006. She was periodically interviewed 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.

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 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 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

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References

  1. ^ a b Ya'ar, Chana. "Jewish US Lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords Shot, Prognosis Optimistic". Arutz Sheva Israel National News. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  2. ^ a b Kampeas, Ron (2011-01-08). "Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot in the head". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles (JTA). Retrieved 2011-01-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ "Congresswoman Giffords Shot in Tucson". The New York Times. January 8, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  4. ^ "Congresswoman shot, alive in surgery in Arizona". WMC-TV. 2011-01-08. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  5. ^ "US congresswoman in critical condition after shooting". MSNBC. 2011-01-08. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  6. ^ a b Bookman, Jay (January 8, 2011). "Federal judge wounded in AZ; congresswoman shot". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  7. ^ "Rep. Giffords in Intensive Care After Being Shot in the Head at Public Event". FOX News. 2011-01-08. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  8. ^ "Gifford's campaign website". Archived from the original on 2007-04-21. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
  9. ^ "Right-Wing Agenda Will Obscure our Most-Pressing Issues". Tucson Citizen (republished on candidate's web site). January 10, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-11-09. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
  10. ^ "Flunkies — The Sierra Club grades the Arizona Legislature". Candidate's web site. June 12, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-11-09. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
  11. ^ "Track Record". Candidate's web site. June 12, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
  12. ^ THOMAS Search Results: H.R.1441. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  13. ^ House Votes Again To Ban Sales Of F-14 Parts To Iran. Aero-News.net, June 13, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  14. ^ Stanton, Billie. Stanton: Democrats damned by Iraq war vote. Tucson Citizen June 5, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  15. ^ "Giffords for Congress 2010 » About Gabrielle". Giffordsforcongress.com. 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  16. ^ "Senate rejects border funding; U.S. Rep Giffords is outraged". KGUN9 Tucson. 2010-07-26. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  17. ^ "Solar energy, immigration top congresswoman's priorities". San Pedro Valley News-Sun. 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  18. ^ "EMILY's List Announces Endorsement of Gabrielle Giffords for Arizona's 8th Congressional District". Emily's List. June 14, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
  19. ^ Sunnucks, Mike (June 13, 2006). "Democratic contender gets support in House race". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
  20. ^ "Voters reject immigrant-bashing among candidates". San Jose Mercury News. November 12, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-12.[dead link]
  21. ^ Gems Election Results
  22. ^ "Gabrielle Giffords wins re-election in Arizona". AZCentral.com. November 5, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
  23. ^ "Top 10 "Tea Party' Candidates to Watch". AZCentral.com. September 21, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  24. ^ "Arizona Congresswoman Giffords shot in Tucson". The Arizona Republic. 8 January 2011.
  25. ^ "Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Shot In Arizona". NPR. January 8, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  26. ^ "Arizona congresswoman among 12 shot at Tucson grocery". CNN. January 8, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  27. ^ "Profile of Jared Loughner: 'I can't trust the current government'". MSNBC. January 8, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  28. ^ "Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot in Arizona". Reuters. January 8, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  29. ^ "Project Vote Smart – NARAL Pro-Choice America Rating". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  30. ^ "Vote switchers on financial bailout". USA Today. October 3, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  31. ^ February 22, 2009 (2009-02-22). "Stimulus bill deserved my vote | Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords". Giffords.house.gov. Retrieved 2010-07-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ "The Science Coalition". Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  33. ^ Giffords, Gabrielle (September 2007). "Solar Energy in Southern Arizona: Executive Summary" (PDF).
  34. ^ Schuster, John. "Power Play | Currents Feature". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  35. ^ a b Palmer, Christian (2008-03-21). "Arizona Democrats split on D.C. gun ban". Arizona Capitol Times. {{cite news}}: Text "accessdate-2010-08-10" ignored (help)
  36. ^ "Brief for respondent District of Columbia v. Heller 07-290" (PDF).
  37. ^ "Project Vote Smart – National Rifle Association Rating". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  38. ^ "GOA House Ratings for the 111th Congress". Gunowners.org. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  39. ^ "Democrats call for elimination of Arizona's new immigration law". CNN. April 28, 2010.
  40. ^ "Giffords statement on Arizona's new immigration law and the us border". 2010-04-30. {{cite web}}: Text "2010-08-10" ignored (help); Text "accessdate" ignored (help)
  41. ^ "U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS' STATEMENT ON ARRIVAL OF NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS ON THE ARIZONA-MEXICO BORDER". 2010-08-31. {{cite web}}: Text "2010-10-11" ignored (help); Text "accessdate" ignored (help)
  42. ^ "U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS WELCOMES PRESIDENT'S SIGNING OF BORDER SECURITY BILL". 2010-08-13. {{cite web}}: Text "2010-10-11" ignored (help); Text "accessdate" ignored (help)
  43. ^ "Bill Text – 110th Congress (2007–2008) – THOMAS (Library of Congress)". Thomas.gov. 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  44. ^ "With Unemployment Near Ten Percent, Giffords Seeks Importation of More Cheap Foreign Labor". FAIR. October 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  45. ^ a b Gross, Grant (March 14, 2008). "Bill Would Double Cap on H-1B Visas". PC World. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  46. ^ "InformationWeek".
  47. ^ "Biography". {{cite web}}: Text "2011-01-08" ignored (help); Text "accessdate" ignored (help)
  48. ^ "Biography". {{cite web}}: Text "2011-01-08" ignored (help); Text "accessdate" ignored (help)
  49. ^ "Giffords is 1st female Jew elected from Ariz". Arizona Daily Star. 2007-03-04. Retrieved 2011-01-09. Spencer Giffords was firstcousin of the late Bruce Paltrow father of Gwyneth Paltrow {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  50. ^ Gelbart, Debra Morton (2006-11-08). "Jewish woman takes Arizona seat". JTA News Service. JTA.org. Retrieved 2010-05-04. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  51. ^ Hulse, Carol; Zernike, Kate (January 8, 2011). "Bloodshed Puts New Focus on Vitriol in Politics". The New York Times. Retrieved January 9, 2011. Ms. Giffords is the first Jewish woman elected to the House from her state.
  52. ^ Faherty, John (2008-06-01). "Congresswoman's husband now in orbit". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  53. ^ "Gifford's campaign website". Archived from the original on 2007-04-22. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
 
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 8th congressional district
2007–Present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Representatives by seniority
276th 		Succeeded by

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