IN AND OUT AT THE CAPITOL

posted by Christopher Conover

Since Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was wounded on January 8th, other members of Congress have been working on her behalf. Provisions of bills she has championed in the past have been folded into other legislation, a handful of lawmakers have traveled to Congressional District 8 to hold hearings and listening sessions about military bases and the border, and some have even sponsored bills.

Representative Adam Smith (D-WA,9) filed a bill on behalf of Giffords earlier this year that would move the Defense Department away from dependence on fossil fuels. Even though, that was a pet project of Giffords in the past she did not sign on as a co-sponsor during her visit to Washington, DC earlier this week. In an email, her staff said it was a “brief trip” and she was there only to vote “on a specific bill.”

IF GIFFORDS IS IN, ANTENORI IS OUT

posted by Michael Chihak

Republican Arizona state Sen. Frank Antenori has openly mused about the idea of running for Congress from Southern Arizona's 8th District.

That seat is now held by Democrat Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head in January. She appeared for the House of Representatives debt-ceiling vote on Monday, fueling speculation that she will continue pursuing her political career.

Antenori has said all along that he won't run if Giffords seeks reelection. He reiterated that in comments published this week by the Arizona Capitol Times, saying that he took her appearance on the House floor Monday as a sign she will be back.

From the Capitol Times:

*She’ll be hard to beat, Antenori said. Even if she didn’t have an outpouring of sympathy from the shooting, she would have been a tough challenge for any Republican.

But if and when she hits the campaign trail, he said, Giffords will have to answer a lot of the questions that people are asking today about whether she’s capable of fully carrying out her duties as a member of Congress.

“I think that will be something that comes out during the campaign, if somebody runs against her,” Antenori said. But, he added, “The name recognition and the plight that she faced … is going to be too much for anyone to overcome.”*