PHOENIX (AP) — The return of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to Washington to cast a vote on debt-ceiling legislation on Monday has fueled speculation about whether she'll seek re-election next year or run for a U.S. Senate seat.
Bruce Merrill, a longtime pollster in Arizona and senior research fellow at Arizona State University's Morrison Institute for Public Policy, said Giffords' vote is a sign that she is capable of holding her office and that he would be shocked if she didn't run for re-election to her congressional seat.
Merrill says Giffords would be hard to beat in her district, given her strong staff and solid support from rank-and-file voters. But Merrill doubted whether Giffords would run for a U.S. Senate seat in 2012 because of the physical rigors of campaigning all over the state.
"I don't see how she could do that for a several-months period," Merrill said. "On the other hand, as a congresswoman she has a great staff in place there obviously doing the work under her direction. It would be much easier to run for re-election."
Giffords hasn't yet publicly revealed her plans for the future. Her return to Washington marks another milestone in her recovery since being shot in the head at a political event outside a Tucson grocery store. Six people were killed and another 12 were wounded in the Jan. 8 shooting.
Her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, has said he is keeping an open mind about running for political office, but that a career in politics isn't in his current plans. Still, he hasn't ruled out a run for a political post. Kelly has been mentioned as a potential candidate for office in Arizona, particularly for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Jon Kyl.
Democratic state Rep. Steve Farley of Tucson, a Giffords friend who was at the hospital with her family in the hours immediately after the shooting, believes her appearance in the House is a sign that she will run again for her post, though he said he wasn't basing his prediction on any news he got from Giffords or anyone close to her.
"This isn't an official campaign announcement, but I think this is getting there," Farley said. "I cannot imagine her not running again."
