Senator Mark Kelly's Wife Gabby Giffords Was in Politics Long Before He Was

In part because of his success in flipping a Senate seat blue, and in part because he used to be an astronaut, there are plenty of people who love Mark Kelly. The Arizona senator has only been in office since 2020, but he's already developed a reputation as a moderate who is willing to work across the aisle.

As Kelly continues to build a reputation for himself, and as some speculate about whether he might run for president in 2028, many want to know more about who his wife is. As you may be aware, her story is even more amazing than his.

Mark Kelly's wife is Gabby Giffords, a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona. She served in that position from 2007 through 2012. Giffords had just begun her third term in the House when she was shot in the head as part of a mass shooting that happened outside of Tucson during an event with her constituents. Giffords survived the shot but faced a long recovery process to recover her motor skills and her ability to speak.

Although she was a moderate on the issue of gun control while she was in Congress, Giffords has since become a radical advocate for gun control and made it the defining issue of her political life. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022, and she continues to experience aphasia, which is an issue that makes it difficult for her to communicate her thoughts into words.

Through Gifford's long recovery process, and even as he has gotten into politics himself, it's clear that Kelly has remained a devoted husband, and that he spent much of the decade following the shooting being with her, although he made it clear that he was her husband and not her caretaker.

“I am not the person that helps her out,” he said in 2018. “That’s why I have other people.”

Kelly wasn't always a political person, but it seems that Giffords's shooting played some role in his decision to enter politics too.

“It’s not something I have planned,” Kelly said in 2018 of a potential Senate run. “But it’s not something I have totally eliminated as a possibility in my future. Under the right circumstances, at the right time, I might seriously consider something. That’s not today.”

Kelly announced his candidacy the next year, and he has since proven to be a winning politician in his home state. His wife's shooting undeniably reshaped the course of both of their lives and forced Kelly to do more of the talking in their relationship.

Thankfully, Kelly has found that he's a better talker than he may have guessed, and it led him all the way to the United States Senate. He was considered a dream candidate for years before he got into the race, and as it turns out, all those prognosticators were right. He's an appealing political figure.