'I have more work to do on my recovery,' says Giffords in a video message to supporters. Giffords will resign from Congress

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was severely wounded just over one year ago in a shooting rampage, announced Sunday that she is resigning from Congress.

“I have more work to do on my recovery so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week,” she told supporters in a video message. “I’m getting better, every day.”


Giffords says she will resign this week from Congress so that she can devote herself to her rehabilitation, which has been under way for more than a year since a bullet pierced her brain during the mass shooting in a Tucson parking lot that left six people dead.

Giffords will make an appearance at the State of the Union address this week before she officially steps down.

Democratic insiders said that Giffords had been considering whether to step down for several weeks. There was some discussion over whether Giffords would resign or retire.

Some Democratic officials had hoped that Mark Kelly, Giffords’s husband and a former astronaut, might run for the seat, but Kelly won’t be running, nor will Giffords’s aides Pia Carusone and Ron Barber, according to a longtime Giffords political adviser.

Under Arizona law, Gov. Janice Brewer (R) has 72 hours from the day the seat is officially vacant to announce a date for a special election to replace Giffords. The party primary must be held 80-90 days from the date of vacancy, with a general election 50-60 days after that. That sets up a primary in a seat that could be tough for Democrats to hold in mid to late April, with a general election in mid-June.

The Giffords shooting — and her remarkable recovery — shocked and captivated the nation in January of last year, and her long road of rehabilitation has often played out in public. In her video, Giffords speaks clearly but deliberately — her speech functions have slowly returned during her yearlong recovery.

“Arizona is my home. Always will be,” Giffords says. “A lot has happened over the past year. We cannot change that. But I know on the issues we fought for, we can change things for the better. Jobs. Border security. Veterans. We can do so much more by working together.”

Giffords also addresses the shooting in her statement.

“I don’t remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice,” Giffords said. “Thank you for your prayers and for giving me time to recover. I have more work to do on my recovery so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week. I’m getting better, every day. My spirit is high. I will return, and we will work together for Arizona and this great country.”

Giffords, a three-term moderate Democrat, was wounded in the shootings on Jan. 8, 2011, that killed six people and injured 13 others. She has been undergoing recovery in Houston but has returned to Tucson four times since the shootings, including earlier this month, when she came back to mark the one-year anniversary of the shootings

Jared Lee Loughner, 23, is facing 49 federal charges in connection to the shootings, but he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and is being forcibly medicated in Missouri until he can be declared competent to stand trial.

Giffords has not been seen on the House floor since last August, when she made a dramatic appearance during a House vote on boosting the U.S. debt ceiling. The move stunned her colleagues, many of whom had not spoken to Giffords since the shooting, and set off a media frenzy.

President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other congressional colleagues praised Giffords for her courage in the face of the Tucson tragedy.

“Over the last year, Gabby and her husband, Mark, have taught us the true meaning of hope in the face of despair, determination in the face of incredible odds, and now — even after she’s come so far — Gabby shows us what it means to be selfless as well,” Obama said in a statement released by the White House on Sunday afternoon.

Biden said in a statement: “We fully support their decision. I know that Gabby will continue to make significant contributions to her state and country, and I stand with her in whatever endeavor she decides to pursue.”

“Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has been a true bright star — a dynamic and creative public servant. Gabby’s message of bipartisanship and civility is one that all in Washington and the nation should honor and emulate,” Pelosi added. “I join all my colleagues in Congress in thanking Gabby for the honor of calling her colleague and wishing Gabby and Mark great success and happiness. She will be missed in the House of Representatives, but her legacy in the Congress and her leadership for our nation will certainly continue.”

“I salute Congresswoman Giffords for her service, and for the courage and perseverance she has shown in the face of tragedy,” Boehner said. “She will be missed.”

Giffords will return to Washington this week to attend President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, marking one of her final acts as a member of Congress. She will also meet privately in Tucson with constituents who were attending the meet-and-greet at a Safeway supermarket where the shooting occurred.

Jonathan Allen contributed to this report.