Congressional Candidate Gabrielle Giffords Visits Douglas. Douglas Dispatch, 2/11/06

By Xavier Zaragoza
The Daily Dispatch

Education and the border are two top priorities for District 8 congressional candidate Gabrielle Giffords.

“Children need to have a sound education,” she said to a group of Douglas residents Friday afternoon. “By having a sound education they will be able to compete in a global economy.”

As for the border, Giffords, 35, said that the current Border Patrol strategy is not working. Currently, billions are being poured into border enforcement yet migrants continue to cross the border.

“The federal government must implement a comprehensive border reform plan,” she said. “This needs to include increased enforcement, improved relations with Mexico, facilitating trade and commerce, and developing a legal arrangement to supply the workers that Arizona needs for its growing economy.”

This would include a viable guest-worker program, she said.

She also wants to bring the troops home safely. She said that Arizonans were given false evidence for invading Iraq; moreover, the troops also deserve gratitude for doing a tough job under perilous conditions.

“We need to quickly build international cooperation so the Iraqi people can govern themselves effectively,” she said.

Giffords’ legislative experience includes being an Arizona state senator, 2003 to 2005 and an Arizona state representative, 2001 to 2002. She has also expanded health care coverage for Arizona families, created and attracted high wage jobs and work force training and protected Arizona’s environment and open spaces.

In 2005 she was named Woman of the Year by Tucson Business Edge and the YWCA awarded her Woman on the Move. For her commitment to protecting the environment, she was named Legislator of the Year by the Arizona Planning Association and Most Valuable Player by the Sierra Club.

She won the Top 10 Technology Legislator of the Year award for three years straight from 2003 to 2005; she was named the Legislator of the Year in 2004 by the Mental Health Association of Arizona.