Gabby Giffords facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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 by	Jim Kolbe
Succeeded by	Ron Barber
Member of the Arizona Senate from the 28th district
In office January 8, 2003 – December 1, 2005
Preceded by	Randall Gnant
Succeeded by	Paula Aboud
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 13th 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	Mark Kelly ​ (m. 2007)​
Relatives	Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Paltrow (second cousins)
Education	Scripps College (BA) Cornell University (MRP)
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022)
Signature

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 senior 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[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 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

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

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

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[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."

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

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
  • Subcommittee on Readiness
• Committee on Science, Space and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation

Attempted assassination

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. The gunman hit 19 individuals with gunfire, killing six of them.

The shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, was detained by bystanders until he was taken into police custody. After eventually facing more than 50 federal criminal charges, Loughner pleaded guilty to 19 of them in a plea bargain.

Giffords's intern, Daniel Hernández Jr., provided first-aid assistance to her immediately after she was wounded, and is credited with saving her life.

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

After continuing her rehabilitation therapy in Houston, Giffords returned to Kennedy Space Center for the launch of her husband's final Space Shuttle mission, STS-134, 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

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. 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. During her treatments in North Carolina, she stayed at the North Carolina Governor's Western Residence. 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.

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; the interview 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, 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.

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 debt ceiling.

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 No Child Left Behind law, viewing it as an unfunded federal mandate. She supports public schools and their improved efficiency.

Energy

Giffords strongly supports renewable energy, in particular 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, 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. On August 1, 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".

Immigration and border security

Representative Giffords speaking with a military officer in July 2010

During Gifford's tenure in the House, Arizona's 8th Congressional District was one of ten in the country bordering Mexico. Giffords has stated that the Arizona SB 1070 legislation is a "clear calling that the federal government needs to do a better job" and says 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.

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. ....."

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' bill was never voted on by the House of Representatives.

Gun control

In 2008, before being shot, Giffords opposed Washington, D.C. prohibitions on possession of handguns in the home and having usable firearms there, signing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court 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 is to promote gun-control legislation with elected officials and the general public.

In 2020 she 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.

Naming honors

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 her injuries, 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.

Electoral history

See also

• Giffords
• Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
• List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
• List of United States Congress members killed or wounded in office
• Women in the United States House of Representatives