Randy Friese.Photo: Ross D Franklin/AP/Shutterstock
Dr. Randy Friese, who has been in the Arizona state legislature since 2015, said Thursday that gun violence, theCOVID-19 pandemicand extremist right-wing efforts to overturn the 2020 election were reasons he wanted to seek a seat in the House of Representatives.
Giffords, 50, went through an extensive recovery after the 2011 shooting, which killed six people, and she returned to the House floor seven months later to a standing ovation.
She later resigned in 2012 to focus on her rehab but became one of the nation’s leading voices on gun violence through the Giffords Law Center. Her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, was elected to the Senate in November.
Now, Friese hopes to succeed Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who is retiring. Arizona state Sen. Kirsten Engel has also announced a campaign for the soon-to-be vacant seat.
“I want to bring my experience as an attorney, legislator, woman, and mom to Washington to help southern AZ families and small businesses,” Engeltweetedearlier this month.
In his own campaign pitch, FriesetweetedThursday that “the stakes of this election are too high. As a doctor, veteran, & educator I am ready to fight to help our community.”
Randy Friese.AP/Shutterstock
Friese, a Navy veteran, currently represents the Tucson area in the state House.
His initial campaign ad this week touted his rolein treating Giffordsafter her shooting.
The race for the House seat is expected to be competitive,according to The Hill, given that the seat has flipped back-and-forth between the Democratic and Republican parties.
Kirkpatrick, a Democrat, was first elected to her current seat in 2018.
The seat has flipped between political parties four times since 2000.
source: people.com
