Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was severely wounded just over one year ago in a shooting rampage, announced Sunday that she is resigning from Congress.
?I have more work to do on my recovery so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week,? she told supporters in a video message. ?I?m getting better, every day.?
Continue ReadingGiffords says she will resign this week from Congress so that she can devote herself to her rehabilitation, which has been under way for more than a year since a bullet pierced her brain during the mass shooting in a Tucson parking lot that left six people dead.
Giffords will make an appearance at the State of the Union address this week before she officially steps down.
Democratic insiders said that Giffords had been considering whether to step down for several weeks. There was some discussion over whether Giffords would resign or retire.
Some Democratic officials had hoped that Mark Kelly, Giffords? husband and a former astronaut, might run for the seat, but Kelly won?t be running, nor will Giffords? aides Pia Carusone and Ron Barber, according to a longtime Giffords political adviser.
Under Arizona law, Gov. Janice Brewer (R) has 72 hours from the day the seat is officially vacant to announced a date for a special election to replace Giffords. The party primary must be held 80-90 days from date of vacancy, with a general election 50-60 days after that. That sets up a primary in a seat that could be tough for Democrats to hold in mid to late April, with a general election in mid June.
The Giffords shooting ? and her remarkable recovery ? shocked and captivated the nation in January of last year, and her long road of rehabilitation has often played out in public. In her video, Giffords speaks clearly but deliberately ? her speech functions have slowly returned during her year-long recovery.
?Arizona is my home. Always will be,? Giffords says. ?A lot has happened over the past year. We cannot change that. But I know on the issues we fought for, we can change things for the better. Jobs. Border security. Veterans. We can do so much more by working together.?
Giffords also addresses the shooting in her statement.
?I don?t remember much from that horrible day but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice,? Giffords said. ?Thank you for your prayers and for giving me time to recover. I have more work to do on my recovery so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week. I?m getting better, every day. My spirit is high. I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country.?
Giffords, a three-term moderate Democrat, was wounded in the shootings on Jan. 8, 2011 that killed six people and injured 13 others. She has been undergoing recovery in Houston but has returned to Tucson four times since the shootings, including earlier this month, when she came back to mark the one-year anniversary of the shootings.
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