GOP picks businessman to vie for Giffords’s seat

Businessman Jesse Kelly, an Iraq War veteran and Tea Party favorite, will run against former Gabrielle Giffords aide Ron Barber.

Voters in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District this week chose businessman Jesse Kelly, an Iraq War veteran and Tea Party favorite, to run against former Gabrielle Giffords aide Ron Barber in a special election to replace the wounded ex-congresswoman. Kelly, who nearly defeated Giffords in 2010, will face Barber on June 12; the winner will hold the seat until the end of the year, but both men say they will run again in the general election in November. Giffords resigned on Jan. 25, about a year after she was shot in the head at a constituent meet-and-greet in Tucson, where six people were killed and 13 wounded, including Barber.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up