Daniel Hernandez, Gabrielle Giffords' 'Hero Intern,' Wins School Board Seat

Daniel Hernandez Jr., the 21-year-old intern in Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' (D-Ariz.) office who ran towards gunshots during the Tucson shooting, won a seat on an Arizona school board on Tuesday.

He was elected to a vacant seat on the Sunnyside Unified School District governing board, which covers southern Tucson and adjacent areas in Pima County. He received 61.8 percent of the vote to opponent Sherrie Burdic's 36 percent. Hernandez has said that he wants a career in public service.

Hernandez lost a bid earlier this year to become the student government president at the University of Arizona, where he is a political science major expecting to graduate in 2012.

After shots rang out the day that Giffords was shot, Hernandez ran toward her, was the first person to attend to her, and tried to stop her bleeding, possibly saving her life. He became a national hero in the January shooting that killed six and severely injured Giffords.

Despite his quick thinking, Hernandez rejected being called a hero. President Barack Obama and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer saluted Hernandez in a memorial service at the University of Arizona in January.