Dan Nowicki

The Republic | azcentral.com

Former Arizona U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was nearly assassinated five years ago near Tucson, campaigned for Hillary Clinton on Sunday in Phoenix.

Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, who in recent years have emerged as national gun-control activists, were not billed as speakers at the rally, which was headlined by former President Bill Clinton. Their surprise appearance brought the 1,100-person capacity crowd in Central High School's gymnasium to its feet.

Giffords' speech has greatly improved since she was shot in the head at a constituent event, but she did show signs of her continuing struggle to recover from a near-fatal wound.

Giffords, an Arizona Democrat who served in the U.S. House from 2007-12, initially greeted the audience with "Hello, Tucson, Arizona!"

After Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut, reminded her they were in Phoenix, she said, "OK, Phoenix!"

"Great to be here today. I'm here to talk to you about Hillary Clinton," Giffords said. "Hillary is tough. Hillary is courageous. She will fight to make our families safer. In the White House, she will stand up to the gun lobby. That's why I'm voting for Hillary."

In her brief remarks, Giffords acknowledged that "speaking is hard for me. But come January, I want to say these two words: Madam President."

Kelly added: "Only one candidate in this race has the determination and the toughness to stand up to the gun lobby, and the record to prove it. And that candidate is Hillary Clinton."

When Bill Clinton took the stage, he embraced Giffords and gave her a kiss. Later, he praised her work to prevent gun violence.

"I'm so proud of Gabby Giffords for what she's done," Clinton said.