Giffords Bio

[n2doc]

http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Gabrielle_Giffords?hpid=topnews
AT A GLANCE
Current Position: U.S. Representative (since 2006)

Career History: Senator, Arizona Senate, (2002 to 2005); Representative, Arizona House of Representatives (2000 to 2002); CEO, El Campo Tire (1997 to 2000)
Birthday: June 8, 1970

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Alma Mater: Scripps College, B.A., 1993; Cornell University, MS, 1996

Spouse: Mark E. Kelly

Religion: Jewish

In her short political career, Giffords is already breaking records: at age 30, she was the youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona Senate. With her election to the U.S. House in 2006, she became the state’s first Jewish congresswoman, only the third woman in history to represent Arizona and the first in over a decade.(1)

Giffords is a centrist Blue Dog, making her mark by supporting the armed services and immigration control, stances that have helped protect her in a majority-Republican district that went for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. But like other Democrats in swing states in 2010, Giffords was in serious danger of losing her seat; she faced political neophyte and tea-party favorite Jesse Kelly (R). But she prevailed, barely, by a little over 4,000 votes. (2)
The Arizona Republic, impressed by the hundreds of meetings she’s held in her district as well as actions on Capitol Hill, called her “the Energizer rabbit with a brain.”(3)
In the wake of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2008 loss, the New York Times placed her among the ranks of promising young female lawmakers who might run for governor. And soon after her first election to the House, former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich floated her name for an even higher office. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's the first or second female president of the United States," said Reich, one of her mentors. "She's of that caliber."(4)

[Alameda]

1. Giffords is pro-choice & supported SB 1070

Arizona's 8th Congressional District is one of 10 in the country bordering Mexico. Giffords has stated that the Arizona SB1070 legislation is a "clear calling that the federal government needs to do a better job".<18> and saying that she hopes the legislation acts as a wake up call to the federal government despite the fact that it "does nothing to secure our border". <19>

On August 31, 2010 Congresswoman 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. Their arrival represents a renewed national commitment to protecting our border communities from drug cartels and smugglers."<20>

Giffords is pro-choice and has a 100% rating from NARAL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabrielle_Giffords#Abortion