Rep. Giffords Returns to Washington, DC **Updated**

NJDC — August 2, 2011 – 12:18 pm | Congress | Democrats Comments (0) Add a comment

Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) made a surprise trip to Washington, DC last night and was warmly welcomed back with open arms by her colleagues. She also announced this morning that she will run for re-election in 2012.

JTA wrote:

The announcement that Giffords, the first Jewish woman elected to statewide office in Arizona, would be seeking her fourth term in Congress came the morning after she surprised her colleagues in the House of Representatives by appearing on the House floor to vote for the debt ceiling package, which passed the $2.5 trillion deal. She received a standing ovation from the chamber, creating a brief moment of unity after weeks of fractious budget debates.

‘The Capitol looks beautiful and I am honored to be at work tonight,’ Giffords said in a tweet before appearing in the chamber, the first tweet made in the first person since she was shot Jan. 8 in an assault that killed six people while she met constituents at a strip mall in her congressional district in Tucson, Ariz.

DNC Chair Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) said:

This is a day for the history books. We saved our country from going into default, and my beloved friend and ever-optimistic colleague Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returned to the floor to cast her vote in favor of the future of our nation.

We are all so proud of her. So many prayers of hope were sent in Gabby’s honor, and we knew this day would come. Her strength and determination over these last few months have been phenomenal and I’m so thrilled she could join us on the House Floor this evening.

The National Jewish Democratic Council is delighted to welcome Giffords back to Washington, D.C and we wish her the best as she continues her recovery.

Click here to read JTA’s full article.

 

CORRECTION

According to a JTA update on their report, Giffords has not yet decided about running for office in 2012. JTA quoted C.J. Karamarjin, Giffords’ spokesman, as saying, “No decision has been made about 2012.”

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