Giffords Resigns -- Reflections of a Tucson Democrat (ContributorNetwork)

FIRST PERSON | I got the news when I opened my e-mail Sunday morning.

I received the news from several sources -- the Giffords for Congress committee, Arizona's List, the Arizona Democratic Party and one from Giffords' office that included a note from her husband, Mark Kelly.

I have been watching Gabrielle Giffords' progress during the past year, and could see in her resignation video how far she has come, and also how her speech is still not quite natural. But I remember when she was in a coma and how we wondered whether she would live, and I marvel. Republicans and Democrats have been inspired by the strength and will she has shown.

I also think that making this decision shows how she is recovering. Being able to make such a decision, to weigh her options, consider her constituents' best interests as well as her own -- this shows progress. It was not too long ago that her husband had not told her about the deaths of Jan. 8, 2011, because she would not have had the language to process and express her feelings.

There will be a special election, complete with primaries, since it is more than six months until the next regular election, which is the time set by Arizona law. The election probably will not take place until June. Gov. Jan Brewer will set the dates soon.

As a resident of the northernmost part of Giffords' district, I do not yet know whether I will be voting in the special election. Northern Pima County will become part of a different congressional district that includes most of northeastern Arizona. We are not sure whether the special election will use the old or the new district lines.

Before Giffords was shot, I always felt I was well represented. I might not have agreed with her on every issue, but I knew that my concerns were heard and taken into account. I worked in a phone bank during the last two elections, and got to speak to many others in the district who felt the same way. I had met her on several occasions, including a Congress on the Corner meeting at the same Safeway store a year or two before the January 8 shooting. She was always gracious.

I have been very aware all year of not being represented in the House of Representatives. I am politically active and receive many e-mails and alerts about different legislation, with encouragement to contact my member of Congress. Shortly after the shooting, I received an apology from one organization saying it would no longer contact supporters in Giffords' district. But lots of mail come with contacts for senators and representatives, and it is still jarring to receive confirmation from Giffords' office, under her signature, that they have received my message.

I think this is one of the reasons for Giffords' decision. She could have waited until May to resign, which would have made a special election unnecessary. I would guess that once she had made her decision she would not have wanted her district to go without representation for one day longer than is absolutely necessary.

I will miss having Gabrielle Giffords as my congresswoman, and I sincerely wish her a speedy and full recovery.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/democrats/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120123/pl_ac/10869919_giffords_resigns__reflections_of_a_tucson_democrat

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