She is first mentioned as one indistinct name among hundreds in a comment, "Why do you hate me?" by dsolzman, a month and change after the 2004 general election, listing DLC members as part of a defense of the DLC. The comment fared badly, with 21 ratings leaving it just above hidden status. kos's reply to it was:
The DLC is NOT the moderate wing of the party. It's the fiefdom of From and Reed. And party moderates are getting tired of From and Reed taking credit for successes not their own.
That was how the name "Gabrielle Giffords" first came to Daily Kos.
I am writing this diary on the fly, not knowing where it will take me, not even approaching the point where, thanks to this site, I made my contribution to her 2010 campaign and ended up on her mailing list. Let's see where the ride goes.
Jan. 8, 2005 to Jan. 8, 2006: In May 2005, a diary by tedski, containing this:
Adding to [Jim] Kolbe's problem with the base is that he has finally taken a stand for gays in the military. It may seem unusual for him to have been quiet so long on this, since he is gay and an honrably discharged Navy vet. I know a few Republican activists who say they like Kolbe because he's gay and "doesn't talk about it." Well, now he talks about it, how will that make them feel?
There was a thought in the last election that Graf could have won the primary, this led to a rather active Democratic primary. Jeff Chimene, who came in third in the last primary, may run again. Another name being mentioned is my State Senator, Gabrielle Giffords, who I've known for about a century or two. This would probably only happen if it looks like Graf would be the Republican nominee. If Kolbe starts to look weaker, or if he decides to not run again, then Graf would almost definitely be the nominee.
This was very, very early to be so right on the mark, half a year before the race came into focus. The comments mentioning her during this period all came after November 23, when, as kos announced on the front page, Kolbe retired. (I leave the tracking of his role in the Mark Foley scandal, which was chronicled here in the fall of 2006, as an exercise for the reader.) Here's the first comment mentioning Giffords, from HillaryGuy.
I'm originally from Arizona and must say that if the GOP nominates an anti-choice and anti-gay conservative, this seat is ours (if we run an effective campaign). Tucson has a lot of gay people (lesbians in particular), is very pro-choice, and pro-environmental.
A lot of the Republicans in Tucson are moderate (Tucson is unique in Arizona that way). Indeed, Republicans Pete Hershberger, Ann Day, and Toni Hellon are all pro-choice and for gay rights. The trick here is to hope that Graf wins the primary and faces Cunningham or Giffords. If that happens, the seat's ours. If Toni Hellon should win the primary (she's the most capable of the lot), she'd be favored to win the general. Incidentally, Hershberger and Hellon are friends, so I would expect one to defer to the other.
I know Giffords personally and she's top-notch. However, I would expect the popular Gov. Napolitano to work behind-the-scenes for Cunningham. Btw, I am also a friend of Pete Hershberger and he's a very nice, principled man who isn't afraid to stand up to the conservatives in his party. He's very progressive and it would not be a horrible thing if he were to win. He represents the area in the AZ State House and he's more progressive than at least half of the Democrats.
Kosters were knowledgeably handicapping the race within the hour.
For the Democrats, state Sen. Gabrielle Giffords of LD-28, state Rep. David Bradley, former Tucson Mayor Tom Volgy, former director of So. AZ Planned Parenthood, Virginia Yrun are just some of the potential candidates as well for this open seat.
Soon after -- and I want to stress that for me, at least in this diary, "DLC" will serve simply as a non-evaluative descriptor -- came this:
Giffords is a DLC darling. Tagged as one of their members under 40 to watch. She's well positioned to raise a respectable war chest and she has very strong support from her State Senate office and ties to the local Democratic clubs.
And this:
I don't think that any of the past 'sacrificial' candidates against Kolbe will do more than put a toe in to test the waters before jumping back out. Of all of Kolbe's past 'also-rans' Cunningham has the best chance due to his staff work for the Guv. The local party will quickly freeze out the whole pack of wanna-bes in favor of what they see as their 'best chance' candidate. That might be Gabby Giffords. It might be someone else.
But I'm willing to bet that Gabby becomes the party annointed with either Latas or Shacter (who are already in) taking the role of the insurgent progressive candidate.
Mother Mags weighed in:
I'd love to see Gabby Giffords jump into the race in 8. She's hard-working, intelligent, and her heart is in the right place. Whoever it is, Rep. Grijalva, a no-nonsense voice for southern AZ, could be a genuine asset in helping to turn Kolbe's district Blue.
I liked this comment too, from SoCalLiberal on December 4:
I took a look at Gifford's website....I've never met her or heard her speak in person but my impression of her from her website is WOW. This woman is a winner, she's going to win that seat as long as the DCCC backs her up. At least from the website, I can feel it.
I won't be able to keep chronicling comments, but here's the first diary on her, by smokeymonkey, noting her resignation from the state Senate to run for Kolbe's seat. It ends wonderfully:
Take a look at Gabrielle's bio and tell me what you think. I think I want to buy a motorcycle and ride with her to Argentina when she wins! [Note: Go to the diary to find the periment links.]
smokeymonkey soon made this his beat, with a diary updating developments a week later -- the same day that superribbie first mentioned her in his updated House ratings -- but the coup was his putting her first e-mail into the public record in this diary:
A Special Message from Gabrielle Giffords
January 13, 2006
Dear Friend,
As you know, I resigned my seat in the Arizona Senate last month to run for Congress. Rep. Jim Kolbe's unexpected retirement announcement required this difficult decision. I was honored by the opportunity to be in the Legislature, but our country is facing some historically difficult times. All of us must step up during this crucial period to assist our country. This is why I decided to dedicate all my time, and all my energy, to serving Arizona's 8th Congressional District.
I begin this journey by traveling throughout Southern Arizona. I want to hear from people like you - folks who know and understand this land and our people. So far, they're telling me how it feels to be thrust onto the front lines of an immigration crisis. I'm hearing farmers and ranchers who are concerned about their crops and cattle. I hear from teachers, parents and students who worry about our schools, and whether working families can afford a college degree. Too many people are uninsured or underinsured. Our seniors fear for the security of their pensions, and everyone is worried about the solvency of Social Security. Medicare recipients are dealing with complex prescription drug plans that inflate costs and still restrict access to medication. Families with soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are concerned about their loved ones. Veterans are seeing their benefits reduced each year. This is just the beginning of what I'm hearing, and this is why I am running.
I believe there are solutions. I will be laying out my ideas and plan of action as the campaign unfolds.
I deeply love Southern Arizona. I was born and raised here. My roots stretch back several generations. I worked hard to build public policy experience through my service in the state House and Senate. I am proud of my reputation for reaching across the aisle to get things done.
Remember the Buck Stretchers? The experience I gained by running El Campo Tire taught me that money doesn't grow on trees. You really do have to stretch those dollars to make payroll and cover costs. My academic background in Urban Planning and international links to Israel, Mexico, Europe and China help me understand the global nature of the challenges we face.
The campaign is off and running. I am blessed by help from my dear friends Eddie Basha and Dorothy Finley, who serve as honorary co-chairs. Michael McNulty will continue to chair my campaign, and Laura Almquist is my treasurer. We will soon be announcing our fulltime staff who will bring a wide array of expertise to meeting the needs of the 8th Congressional District.
I would like to invite you to join Congressman Raúl Gríjalva and other supporters at our official campaign kickoff, which will begin at 10 a.m. on Jan. 24 at the Arizona Inn, 2200 East Elm Street. This will be followed by a 12:30 p.m. event in Green Valley at the American Legion Post, 1560 W Duval Mine Road in Sahuarita and some other stops around our district over subsequent days.
The campaign headquarters at 5704 E. Broadway in Tucson will be open by Feb. 1. Please stop by anytime to share your thoughts on issues. And of course I'd love to have you roll up your sleeves and add your talents to our effort.
As in the past, I will be using the Internet to keep you informed. I sincerely appreciated your support during my legislative service. If you are no longer interested in receiving my messages, simply follow the link at the bottom of this letter to remove your name from my email list.
With help from people like you, we will find solutions and bring the necessary strength and leadership to Southern Arizona. Thank you for all you did in the past, and for all I hope you will do in the future.
As always, I would enjoy hearing from you. If you would like to contact me about the campaign, please call me at (520) 792-9980 or email me at Gabrielle@GiffordsforCongress.com.
Sincerely Yours,
Gabrielle Giffords
Some sentiment on the site expressed in later diaries largely was to favor her rival, Col. Jeff Latas, who had announced (as a probably sacrificial lamb prior to Kolbe's announcement), but was not really unfriendly to Gifford and others. Giffords and Patty Weiss were seen as the best chances for victory in a March diary on races we needed to win in November. By March, superribbie had this to say about the race:
Another open seat in a swing district. This district actually tilts slightly to the GOP. The Dems, however, have the stronger candidates: Weiss is a well-known and popular figure from her days as news anchor; Giffords has represented a large part of the district in the state Senate. The GOP field is still sorting itself out. At this point it appears that the GOP front-runners are Graf, Huffman, and Hellon.
Things got heated as the primary approached. Here's a pro-Weiss one from May with a self-explanatory title: AZ-08, Gabrielle Giffords must be stopped! Here's one from a Giffords partisan in September. Obviously, I'm skipping many more.
But this diary, quoting Jim VandeHai from WaPo, was probably especially telling:
One of the biggest surprises of this campaign season is the fundraising performance of Democrats in open House and Senate races...
In recent elections, Republicans held a decisive fundraising edge in these contests. Not this time. In Arizona's 8th Congressional District, which handicappers consider among the most competitive in the nation, Democrat Gabrielle Giffords has raised almost $600,000, more than twice as much as Republican Steve Huffman.
By when the results the September 13 primary came in, pitting Giffords against Randy Graf, whom we considered a wingnut, the site was unified.
As smokeymonkey noted, this may have been because the candidates set a good example:
My local online paper reported that Patty Weiss, a former news-anchor and Gabrielle's closest competition in the primary, visited the Giffords campaign party to concede.
[AZStarnet.com] Giffords remained out of sight for most of the evening and would not agree to interviews. But just before 10 p.m., both Giffords and Weiss walked through the crowd. Putting the end to a turbulent rivalry, Weiss told the crowd: "First thing, off comes the Patty Weiss button." Then she picked up a Giffords' pin, and placed it on her jacket.
I think that's pretty classy. Weiss and Giffords had a pretty heated debate at one point, and I was sure it was going to turn into a cat-fight. However, I think Weiss was simply campaigning hard, and it shows a lot of class to concede in person.
Here's kos on the front page, Sept. 13, 2006 (primary day):
The NRCC actually spent money boosting [Graf's opponent] Hoffman with an ad campaign, though that money was obviously not as effective as that spent by the NRSC on Chafee's behalf in Rhode Island. The fact that they felt compelled to dump in hundreds of thousands of dollars in this race was tacit admission that they don't think Graf can win.
Giffords is a fantastic candidate, and this race remains one of the top five Democratic pickup opportunities this cycle.
While opinions of her have changed over time, I don't think there was much disagreement over wishing her well and wanting her to be the best she could be in what we know is a tough district.
We all deal with our grief in different ways.
This may not yet fully be a day for grief over Giffords (though it is for her fellow victims); I still have hopes not only that Gabrielle Giffords will recover, but will miraculously recover fully, and someday stride back into Congress to take her rightful place among an ovation so large that it will dislodge the foundations of a certain house on C-Street.
When my mother died, I looked through our photo albums. When Gifford was shot, I looked through our archives. You grieve your way, I'll grieve mine.
In some ways, I think it is almost hilarious that Matt Bai wrongfully accused Markos of scrubbing a story critical of Giffords from the site. (As byteb mentions in the story, it was the author of a forlorn and overlooked diary who decided to delete it out of respect.) This is not just because Bai was wrong, but because the rich data here about what we were going through and thinking, and when, about Gabrielle Giffords through her primary -- forget for now about the 2006 general elections and since -- is probably well in excess of what is available in the New York Times archives.
Learn to use the search function, Mr. Bai. We knew about Gabby Giffords before she even announced for Congress, and through our writings you can see how well she was prepared for the race, how she communicated her candidacy, who she fought against and how, and where she comes from. You want an eye-opener, try the same thing for our fellow Koster Kirstin Gillibrand.
Scrub our memory of her? You meatball, we grew up with her!