Gabrielle Giffords To Campaign For Bruce Braley

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) will make a rare campaign appearance for Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), who is running for U.S. Senate, according to a release from his campaign.

Giffords along with her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, will headline a fundraiser in Des Moines on Oct. 27.

Giffords was shot in the head in January 2011 and resigned her seat one year later to focus on her recovery. She appeared in several states to advocate for gun safety measures and met with senators to urge them to vote for a bill strengthening background checks that ultimately failed.

Braley, a rural Iowa congressman, is outspoken on gun control. He told The Huffington Post in June that he probably would have voted against the background checks measure in the Senate because it was not strong enough.

Giffords appeared at a campaign event for her former aide, Ron Barber, who went on to win her seat in June 2012. But otherwise, she does not frequently campaign for other candidates.

Braley is the only Democrat in the race to replace retiring Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst, former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker, talk radio host Sam Clovis, attorney Paul Lunde, car salesman Scott Schaben and former Grassley Chief of Staff David Young are running for the Republican nomination.