Gabrielle Giffords' career in public life may not be over, her husband says. Giffords may seek office again

TUCSON — Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is considering making a return to public service, her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, told POLITICO on Sunday.

Kelly did not detail what kind of position Giffords might be interested in seeking or when she might run.


“Absolutely. At some point she could [run]. She’s getting better all the time,” Kelly said. “It’s certainly not going to be this term, and I don’t know after that.”

He made the remarks during a joint interview with Democrat Ron Barber, the former Giffords staffer who is running for her seat in Tuesday’s special election. Giffords resigned from Congress in January to focus on her recovery from the 2011 assassination attempt that nearly took her life, but Kelly said they’ve begun to mull over what might come next.

“We’re talking about it. She wants to get back to public service,” he added. “Whether it’s elected office, I don’t know.”

While Barber, who was injured in the 2011 shooting, has largely shied away from invoking Giffords in the special election, she is increasingly playing a role in the final days of the contest.

Kelly’s remarks came a day after he and Giffords made an appearance at a concert and get-out-the-vote rally for Barber. Taking the stage toward the end of the evening, the former congresswoman held hands with Barber, whom she has publicly endorsed, and looked on as her husband cast the race as a bookend to her career. Organizers estimated that about 800 people attended the event.

Giffords, who is now living in Texas with Kelly, also showed up at a Sunday morning phone bank held by Barber volunteers in nearby Green Valley, Ariz. And later in the day the former congresswoman, wearing a white shirt, jeans and running shoes, made an appearance at Barber’s headquarters. She greeted supporters, offering hugs and saying “hello,” and “I love you a lot” to each.

Standing next to Giffords, Kelly told volunteers that she would be casting her ballot for Barber at a polling station on Tuesday morning.

“She was not going to miss being here for what is hopefully Ron’s election,” he said. “We weren’t going to miss Tuesday night for anything.”

In the interview, Kelly declined to offer any direct criticism of Barber’s Republican opponent, Jesse Kelly, the Iraq War veteran who narrowly lost to the congresswoman in 2010 in a race that became heated. But he implored voters to support Barber, a 66-year-old first-time candidate.

“This election is about choices,” he said. “It’s a choice about experience and a record of public service. Ron knows these people and this community really well, and I firmly believe and Gabby firmly believes that he should be elected.”

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Mark Kelly