Gabrielle Giffords
| Gabrielle Giffords | |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Jim Kolbe |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
|
|
|
| Born | June 08 1970 Tucson, Arizona |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Engaged to Mark E. Kelly |
| Religion | Jewish |
Gabrielle Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is a Democratic politician from Tucson, Arizona. She is congresswoman for Arizona's 8th congressional district. Giffords is the youngest woman ever to be elected to the Arizona Senate, where she served from 2003 to 2005.
On November 7, 2006 Giffords was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She took office January 4, 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to serve in the U.S. Congress and she is the only woman elected as part of Arizona's congressional delegation to the 110th Congress. She is also Arizona's first Jewish congresswoman.[1]
She is a member of the Democratic Leadership Council.
Congressional Career
Giffords serves on the Armed Services Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee on Science and Technology.
In her inaugural speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, Giffords said a comprehensive immigration reform package needs to include 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, Congresswoman Giffords voted to support increased funding for stem cell research, raising the minimum wage, endorsing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, and supporting the Democrats new rules for the House of Representative targeting ethical issues. Giffords also voted to repeal subsidies to big oil companies and invest the savings in renewable energy. "We put our national security at risk by relying on oil from unstable regimes in the Middle East and Latin America," Giffords told her colleagues in a speech on the House floor during debate on the Clean Energy Act. The act repeals $14 billion in subsidies given to oil companies and establishes a Strategic Renewable Energy Reserve to increase research in clean, renewable energy, develop greater energy efficiency and improve energy conservation.
During the 2007 session of Congress, Giffords introduced a bill (H.R. 1441)[1] that forbids the sale of F-14 aircraft parts on the open market. [2] 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". [3]
Campaign for Congress
Giffords launched her campaign 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, a top American political action committee, endorsed Giffords early in the campaign cycle.[2] The Sierra Club and the Arizona Education Association also endorsed her.[3] 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 known for his enforcement-only position on immigration and illegal aliens. Graf had run against Kolbe in the 2004 GOP primary, and in fact had announced his candidacy in 2006 before Kolbe announced his retirement. The Republican establishment was somewhat cool toward Graf, believing he was too conservative for the district. While the 8th has a slight Republican lean, it is considerably more moderate than much of Arizona, and many analysts believed that Graf was unelectable in November. The national GOP took the unusual step of endorsing one of the more moderate candidates in the primary; but, in a stroke of good fortune for Giffords, 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 Democratic. 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% of the vote. Graf received 42% of the vote. The rest of the vote went to minor candidates. Giffords is the first Anglo Democrat to represent southern Arizona since Morris Udall retired in 1991.
Graf's candidacy was mentioned frequently in the national media as a test case of voters' feelings toward immigration issues, and Giffords' victory was portrayed as evidence that Americans are less extreme in their anti-immigration positions than Graf.[4] Graf did not even carry a majority in Cochise County, a border region where illegal immigration is an important local issue. However, Arizona's continuing interest in the issue is evidenced by the fact that all propositions in the general election relating to restricting benefits to illegal aliens did pass by wide margins.
Positions on immigration and Mexico
Arizona's 8th Congressional District is one of ten in the country bordering Mexico. Giffords lived in Mexico as a Fulbright scholar in the early 1990s. As a congresswoman, she hopes to promote immigration reform. Her opponents have accused her of supporting amnesty, a charge she flatly denies. She supports stronger penalties against employers hiring illegal immigrants and she would like to see a new system allowing work permits for foreign citizens who apply for them. “We should take advantage of our proximity to Mexico and promote development of private initiative, free trade, and support for Mexico in creating new jobs. For example, in Agua Prieta, Sonora, alone, 17 of the ‘maquilladora’ factories have moved to Asia,” Giffords said.[5]
Economic policy testimonial
From Robert Reich: “Our economic policy is headed in the wrong direction for businesses and for families, and it will take real leadership to change direction. That leadership is what Gabrielle Giffords has to offer. I have known Gabrielle Giffords for many years and she impressed me from the outset...Her support of a higher minimum wage at both the state and national level is representative of the understanding that she has for the concerns of working men and women. I spent time with her in Tucson meeting with union leaders and members at the IBEW Hall on Tucson Blvd. this spring and I was impressed at her command of the economic issues facing both Arizona and the nation.”[6]
Position on education
Giffords emphasizes 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 is a graduate of public schools and supports them with a variety of proposals to make them more effective.
Giffords was a Fulbright Scholar and a fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Career in Arizona Legislature
Giffords began her career as a legislator in the Arizona House of Representatives, where she served from 2001 to 2003.
Giffords was elected to the Arizona Senate in the fall of 2002 and is the youngest woman ever elected to this body. She took office in January of 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 said of the Arizona Legislature: "The previous two legislatures enjoyed the benefits of a working coalition consisting of Democrats and middle-of-the-road Republicans. Due to a lack of competitive legislative districts and low voter turnout during GOP primaries, a fairly large crop of mostly conservative Republicans will dominate the House and Senate in 2005." Giffords' concerns played out as an increasingly conservative legislature combined with a Democratic governor, led to increased polarity in Arizona politics. [7]
Record on healthcare
Healthcare for the poor was a major issue for Giffords when she served in the legislature. She worked to expand health care coverage for low-income women and children by sponsoring a number of bills. She wanted to change the law to allow schools to help children who lacked health insurance. She sponsored a cancer control plan for Arizona and was a leader in investigating the issue of cervical cancer. She pushed for state support of rural health care. She also push for bills related to mental health and was named by the Mental Health Association of Arizona as the 2004 Legislator of the Year.
Record on the environment
While serving as a senator, Giffords earned the Sierra Club's most valuable player award. [8]
Record on education
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's 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. [9]
Business career
Giffords is the managing Partner at Giffords Capital Management, a property management company based in Tucson. Prior to this she served as President and CEO at El Campo Tire Warehouses. El Campo was a local automotive chain founded by her grandfather. In 2000, she oversaw the sale of the company to Goodyear Tire. At the time of the sale she commented on the difficulties local businesses face when competing against large national firms. Giffords said "I’m really proud of being able to return to Arizona and help my family in 1996 and take over a tire business that had serious challenges."[10]
Personal
Giffords is engaged to astronaut Mark E. Kelly, a
veteran of two shuttle missions. Kelly was the pilot for space shuttle mission
STS-121 in 2006. STS-121 included the first shuttle launch on the Fourth of July. Giffords participated in a NASA tradition when she selected
"Beautiful Day," by
Giffords is an avid reader and was featured on
Katrina volunteer
After Hurricane Katrina struck in the late summer of 2005, Giffords spent time as a volunteer in Houston, helping those displaced by the storm. She wrote about her experience in the Tucson Citizen.[11]
Education
Giffords graduated from University High School (Tucson). She received a B.A. in Sociology and Latin American History from Scripps College, in Claremont, California, in 1993, and a Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York in 1996.
See also
- United States general elections, 2006
- United States House elections, 2006
- United States congressional elections, 2006
References
- ^ Gelbart, Debra Morton. "Ms. Giffords goes to Congress", JTA News Service, JTA.org, 2006-11-08. Retrieved on 2007-01-05.
- ^ "EMILY's List Announces Endorsement of Gabrielle Giffords for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District", Emily's List, June 14, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
- ^ "Democratic contender gets support in House race", Phoenix Business Journal, June 13, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
- ^ "Voters reject immigrant-bashing among candidates", San Jose Mercury News, November 12, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
- ^ "Giffords Seen as Successor to Kolbe", La Voz (republished on candidate's web site and translated to English), June 15, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
- ^ "Candidate's track record", Candidate's web site, June 15, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
- ^ "Right-Wing Agenda Will Obscure our Most-Pressing Issues", Tucson Citizen (republished on candidate's web site), January 10, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
- ^ "Flunkies — The Sierra Club grades the Arizona Legislature", Candidate's web site, June 12, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
- ^ "Track Record", Candidate's web site, June 12, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
- ^ Gifford's campaign website. Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
- ^ Gifford's campaign website. Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Gabrielle Giffords official House site
- Gabrielle Giffords at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission — Gabrielle Giffords campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Gabrielle Giffords issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Gabrielle Giffords campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Gabrielle Giffords (AZ) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Gabrielle Giffords profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Gabrielle Giffords voting record
- Gabrielle Giffords for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Arizona Democratic Party
- Arizona Congress Watch
- Congressional Quarterly Profile November 8, 2006
- Forty under 40, Tucson area young leader award
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim Kolbe |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 8th congressional district 2007–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Arizona's current delegation to the United States Congress | |
|---|---|
| Senators | John McCain (R), Jon Kyl (R) |
| Representative(s) | Rick Renzi (R), Trent Franks (R), John Shadegg (R), Ed Pastor (D), Harry Mitchell (D), Jeff Flake (R), Raúl Grijalva (D), Gabrielle Giffords (D) |
| All delegations | Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
