Lynda Loftus Smith

Lynda Loftus Smith is Gabrielle Giffords’ Supporter of the Month for January 2008.

When Lynda and her husband, DuWayne, moved to Tucson from San Francisco in March 2006, she almost immediately became involved with the political scene. No stranger to politics, Lynda was an active Democrat working with the California State Democratic Party Central Committee. It was with this Committee that she learned the ropes by helping with all types of elections from Congressional to School Board. It was a natural progression that she continue to be engaged and passionate in Tucson.

Lynda first saw Gabrielle when John Edwards came for a Tucson Rally in 2006. The program included candidates running for Congress from the 8^th district. Initially, Lynda was not a Giffords supporter, but when she heard Gabrielle speak, “she blew my socks off,” says Lynda. “Her clarity of thought was astonishing,” she added. When she came home, she told her husband, “we are for this Giffords woman.”

After Gabrielle took office in 2007, DuWayne and Lynda went to one of Gabrielle’s “Congress on your Corner” meetings. As a retired counselor with the federal VA programs, DuWayne is extremely disturbed by the treatment of returning veterans. Once he heard Gabrielle speak on that issue, he, too, became a supporter and is now on the Congressional office’s Veteran’s Committee.

The most pressing issue for Lynda is healthcare, specifically mental healthcare. She knows that Gabrielle is focused on creating common sense solutions for a very complex problem. “I just love Gabrielle’s authentic concern for people,” she says. “It just warms my heart that she is the congresswoman from my district.”

“It’s so important that she get reelected,” says Lynda. For that reason she is working two days a week at the campaign office, in addition to walking and knocking on doors in her neighborhood to collect petition signatures.

Lynda is a retired high schoolteacher and she and DuWayne have two married sons. The eldest has followed in his mother’s footsteps and teaches art in Austin, Texas. Their youngest lives in San Francisco and works in the computer industry. “No grandchildren yet, but I’m hoping” says Lynda.