Election decision looms as Giffords recovers
TUCSON, Ariz. - While Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has recovered enough from last year's mass shooting to lead a crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance during a Sunday night vigil, the congresswoman faces a decision in 2012 as to whether she will run again for public office, Ben Tracy reports.
"Some days I think she could do the job today," said Giffords' husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly. "You know, other days I see she, you know, she gets a little tired, and she's, you know, really focused on her therapy."
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Kelly said Giffords will decide whether to seek re-election this fall well before Arizona's May 30 filing deadline. In the meantime, her fellow Democrats have raised nearly $1 million to stock her campaign warchest.
"Real question is, would you want to run against her?" said Politico's Jonathan Allen. "It's difficult to run a campaign against her. It's difficult to run a campaign that doesn't suggest that she's not fit for office."
There's been speculation that Kelly could run for her seat in November, but he has dismissed that idea publicly. Kelly said Giffords' ability to communicate will determine if she runs.
"She's just going to have to see if she can get to a point," said Kelly, "where she feels comfortable that she's doing the job well enough."