GOP picks businessman to vie for Giffords’s seat

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.

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up