Who is Gabby Giffords, Mark Kelly's wife? What to know about former US rep

Arizona’s U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly is reportedly on the shortlist as a vice presidential pick and his wife, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords, is playing an active role on the campaign trail.

She is expected to appear at events in support of Vice President Kamala Harris since Harris rose to the top of the Democrats' 2024 presidential ticket.

Giffords, a former U.S. representative from Arizona, made a celebrated recovery after a gunman attempted to assassinate her in 2011.

“Our lives can change so quickly. Mine did when I was shot,” she said in remarks in Pennsylvania this week. “I’m re-learning so many things: How to walk, how to talk. And I’m fighting to make the country safer.”

Here’s what you need to know about Giffords.

What is Gabby Giffords’ background?

Giffords' career in Arizona politics began in the early 2000s. The youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona State Senate, she served in the Arizona Legislature until 2006, when she successfully ran to represent the Tucson area in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Giffords, D-Ariz., was reelected to Congress in 2008 and 2010.

While in office, Giffords' slate of priorities included endorsing renewable energy subsidies, raising the minimum wage, advancing stem cell research and pushing for a comprehensive immigration reform package.

On Jan. 8, 2011, days after she was sworn into a third term, Giffords was shot in the head in an assassination attempt during an event with constituents. She stepped down from Congress the year after the shooting.

Since then she has turned her attention to gun control advocacy. After the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, Kelly and Giffords formed an organization that advocates for what they describe as common-sense gun regulations.

President Joe Biden awarded Giffords the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.

Giffords, who is Jewish, was born and raised in Tucson.

How did Giffords meet Mark Kelly?

Kelly and Giffords met on a U.S.-China trade mission in 2003 and were married in 2007.

At the time of their wedding, Kelly was still a NASA astronaut and Giffords was a freshman member of Congress.

Kelly's first marriage ended in divorce after 15 years. He has two adult daughters.

Who shot Gabby Giffords and why?

Giffords had invited constituents to meet her at a Safeway supermarket outside of Tucson on the morning of Jan. 8, 2011.

It was to be a casual gathering, called “Congress on Your Corner,” where anyone could stop and ask questions, offer comments and shake hands.

A man with paranoid schizophrenia opened fire, killing six people including U.S. District Judge John Roll; Gabe Zimmerman, Giffords' outreach director; and 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green. Giffords was shot in the head, and 12 others were wounded.

Jared Loughner, the man found guilty of the shooting, was convicted and will serve seven life terms in prison.

What is Giffords’ current condition?

The shooting sent Giffords into “critical” condition. A documentary about her recovery includes scenes of Giffords in a hospital bed days after the shooting.

“She is in a Houston hospital, her head shaved, staples lining parts of it. Requests for simple movements are met with a blank stare,” the Arizona Republic reported.

It left her facing years of therapy to rebuild her ability to walk and speak. She has continued to deliver public remarks though her speaking ability is impaired.

Giffords' recovery from her shooting was widely celebrated. She received a standing ovation and a long embrace by former President Barack Obama at his 2012 State of the Union address, the eve of her resignation.

Kelly emerged as a national spokesperson on the issue of gun control for years ahead of his career in politics.

How is Giffords involved in the 2024 election cycle?

Giffords has endorsed Harris for president and is traveling to key swing states including Pennsylvania and Michigan to mobilize supporters on Harris’ behalf.

She has weighed in on recent campaign news items, including resurfaced remarks by GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance describing certain politicians as “childless cat ladies.”

“Vice President @KamalaHarris is a proud mom of two remarkable stepchildren—and so am I. (Kelly) and I were trying to have a baby through IVF before I was shot and that dream was stolen from us. To suggest we are somehow lesser is disgraceful,” Giffords wrote.

The Arizona Republic’s Ronald J. Hansen contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is Gabby Giffords? What to know about Mark Kelly's wife