Giffords Became Democrat Who Defies Political Labels
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Arizona U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was one of 19 Democrats to deny their party’s leader, Nancy Pelosi, support as the U.S. House of Representatives chose a new speaker Jan. 5.
Giffords, in critical condition after being shot in the head Jan. 8 while meeting with constituents in Tucson, cast her vote for Georgia Representative John Lewis as the new Republican-controlled House picked John Boehner of Ohio to be the new speaker. She was one of two Democrats to vote for Lewis, a veteran of the 1960s civil rights movement.