A little more than a year after a would-be assassin fired a bullet into her brain from close range, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will resign her House seat this week, bringing a brief but promising political career to a close ? at least for now.
But in a video message released Sunday afternoon, the 41-year-old Democrat said she?ll be back, although it?s not clear if that means a return to Capitol Hill.
Continue Reading?I have more work to do on my recovery so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week,? she said. ?I?m getting better every day. My spirit is high. I will return, and we will work together for Arizona and this great country.?
A longtime Giffords political adviser told POLITICO that her husband, former Navy Capt. Mark Kelly; her chief of staff, Pia Carusone; and aide Ron Barber, who was wounded in the rampage, will not be candidates for her seat this year.
Giffords?s decision sets up a special election for Arizona?s closely contested Tucson-based district, which she narrowly won a third term to represent in November 2010 ? just two months before a gunman?s bullets shattered the calm of a Jan. 8, 2011, ?Congress on Your Corner? constituent-service event, killing six people, including Judge John Roll, Giffords aide Gabe Zimmerman and 9-year-old Christina Green.
Her resignation ends, at least temporarily, the political chapter of a tale of tragedy and human perseverance that gripped the nation for more than a year. From political insiders to the completely apolitical, Americans watched with a mix of horror and awe as they learned details of the devastating rampage, the heroic acts of the bystanders who subdued the gunman and the life-saving efforts of intern Daniel Hernandez, who cradled Giffords until emergency medical professionals could rush her to the hospital.
After doctors performed brain surgery to keep her alive, a national audience tuned in to see Barack Obama deliver what many still believe is the finest and most unifying speech of his presidency at a University of Arizona memorial service for those who were killed. ?Gabby opened her eyes,? Obama announced. It was unclear at that moment, as it is to this day, the extent to which Giffords will recover.
On Sunday, the president said in a statement, ?Gabby?s cheerful presence will be missed in Washington. But she will remain an inspiration to all whose lives she touched ? myself included. And I?m confident that we haven?t seen the last of this extraordinary American.?
There have been milestones, too. The first reports that she could speak appeared in February last year as Giffords began her long recovery at a hospital in Houston. In April, news media captured images of her ascending the stairs to an airplane so she could travel to the planned launch of a space shuttle mission commanded by her husband. In August, she went to the House floor to cast her only vote since the shooting ? in support of a debt-limit increase. And in recent weeks, even as those close to her said she hadn?t made a decision about whether to run for another term, Giffords showed renewed speech proficiency.
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