Gabrielle Giffords

Gabrielle Giffords

Giffords, Gabrielle (Democrat)

Phone: (520) 512-0012

Email: gabrielle@giffordsforcongress.com

Address: PO Box 12886 Tucson, AZ 85732

Age: 40 (born: 06/08/70, Tucson, AZ)

Arizona since: Birth

Occupation: Representative, U.S. Congress, since 2006; Giffords Capital Management, LLC, since 2000; senator, Arizona state Legislature, 2002-2005; representative, Arizona state Legislature, 2000-2002; CEO and president, El Campo Tire, 1996-2000; Price Waterhouse, Regional Economic Development, 1995-1996.

Marital: Married (Mark Kelly )

Children: 2

Religious preference: Jewish

Education: Harvard University, Kennedy School of Executive Management, 2003; M.A., regional planning, Cornell University, 1996; William J. Fulbright Scholar, Chihuahua, Mexico, 1993-1994; B.A., sociology and Latin American history, Scripps College, 1993.

Political experience: Senator, Arizona state Legislature, 2002-2005; Representative, Arizona state Legislature, 2000-2002; precinct committeeman, 2000-2008.

Memberships have included: Member, Tohono Chul Park Bd of Directors; member, Breast Cancer Boot Camp Bd of Directors; member, Friends of Saguaro Nat’l Park Bd of Directors; member, Arts Reach Inc. Bd of Directors; past member, Arizona Friends of Small Businesses Bd of Directors; past member, AZ Prevention Resource Center Advisory Council Bd of Directors; past member, Anti-Defamation League Bd of Directors; past member, Arizonans for Cultural Development Bd of Directors.

Interests: Hiking, biking, cycling.

Issues:

Political influence: Former legislator Dr. Andy Nichols, who as my seatmate in old district 13. He was the director of the UofA’s Rural Health Office and was among the most compassionate people I have had the honor to know. He was a tireless crusader for public health programs, particularly for Arizona’s children and the working poor.

Top priority: My top priority is border issues, including drug smuggling and illegal immigration, both of which have imposed a heavy burden on southern Arizona residents, businesses and communities. I am a third-generation Arizonan, and I have seen the effects of the systematic funneling of illegal immigrants through our communities. I have successfully fought to increase the number of Border Patrol agents in the Tucson sector, and I have repeatedly called for tough, common sense border security measures that include immediate deployment of National Guard troops to the border. Border security is national security, and it remains my top priority in Congress.

Respected opponent: Republican Congressman Sam Johnson from Texas. He and I are co-sponsors of the “New Employee Verification Bill” to toughen the way employers must verify the citizenship of prospective employees. Our different party affiliations did not matter, only our willingness to confront this problem head on. He’s blunt, he’s direct, and he’ll tell you exactly what he thinks, even if you don’t like it. We need more people like that in Congress.

Wall St bailout: I strongly opposed President Bush’s first bailout bill because it failed to provide sufficient protections for taxpayers. It did not contain a realistic expectation that we would receive a fair return on our investment, and it lacked strong controls on executive compensation. However, I also believed that inaction would cause a major economic collapse, and I supported the second version of the bailout, which was a significant improvement over the first proposal. But after it was signed into law, the bailout program was horribly mismanaged, and I was very vocal in calling for increased oversight and accountability. The conditions that caused the economic and financial crisis were not created overnight, and I believe they will not be solved overnight. I am committed to protecting consumers from unfair practices while also holding our financial institutions to the highest standards of accountability and transparency.

Stimulus Act: I voted for the stimulus bill in February 2009 because we were facing a global economic crisis that was the worst in a generation. That year in Arizona, we lost over 140,000 jobs, we were ranked among the top four states in foreclosures and we faced a $1.6 billion budget shortfall. The stimulus package has helped get Americans working, laid the groundwork for long-term prosperity and transformed our economy for the 21st century. Economists estimate the stimulus bill has boosted employment in Arizona by 57,000 jobs, cut taxes for 2.2 million workers, gave 75,000 families a new $2,500 college tax credit and provided funding to modernize at least 193 schools. The positive impact of the legislation is clear.

Health care overhaul: I voted for the health insurance reform bill because it was fundamentally the right thing to do. My decision came after a year of debate, listening to tens of thousands of southern Arizonans and carefully examining the legislation. These reforms will make health care more affordable and accessible for the majority of southern Arizonans, ranging from children to seniors. This is neither radical reform nor a government takeover of health care. By ending abusive insurance company practices and offering immediate tax credits to small businesses and individuals who cannot afford to purchase coverage, this legislation will have a profoundly positive impact on the people of southern Arizona. We took an historic step toward transforming our broken health insurance system. I am particularly proud that this legislation addressed my concerns about funding for AHCCCS, the state’s Medicaid system. As a result of the changes I fought for, our state will receive billions of additional dollars to support AHCCCS.