WASHINGTON – Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was only a few minutes into her “Congress on your Corner” meeting with constituents when the gunman struck. Now, one of her last acts in Congress will be to finish that meeting.
The Arizona Democrat announced Sunday that she will resign from her congressional seat this week, about one year after sustaining massive injuries in the massacre in Tucson that killed six, wounded 13 and sparked a nationwide conversation about the tenor of the country’s political debate. She nearly died from the gunshot wound to her head, and the severity of the damage to her brain left the extent of her recovery in question. But it was in a clear and strong voice that betrayed only a hint of her ordeal that Giffords announced her decision, in a video posted on her campaign Web site.
“I don’t remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice,” she said, looking directly into the camera. The hair that had been severely cropped after the shooting now framed her face in soft curls. “I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week.”
Before handing in her resignation to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, Giffords has some unfinished business. She plans to attend President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday. And she will finish the meeting that was “interrupted,” her staff said in a statement, by gathering with some of the survivors at a private event in Tucson. The announcement came as an emotional blow to many of her friends and supporters, who had hoped she would recover enough to run for reelection or even for the Senate. But it was not entirely unexpected.
For months, her staff shouldered the burdens of her office while she underwent multiple surgeries and intensive therapy in Houston, where her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, lived. Giffords made a remarkable recovery, but with her term ending this year, her constituents wondered whether she would run for reelection.
Bill Badger, a retired Army colonel who was injured in the shooting, said he does not begrudge her the decision.
“I fully support her decision to not run again and I understand, because I was shot in the head myself – not as seriously as Gabby – and I know how it changed my priorities and changed my life,” Badger said.
Giffords’s decision triggers a special election in the next few months.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.