A 2012 special election in Arizona's 8th congressional district was held on June 12, with primary elections held on April 17, to fill a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Arizona's 8th congressional district Arizona's 8th congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of Arizona. It includes many of the suburbs north and west of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona. The district includes several high-income retirement ...

until the

112th United States Congress The 112th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. It convened in Washington, D.C. on January 3, 2011, and ended on January 3, 2013, 17 ...

ends on January 3, 2013. The election was caused by the resignation of Representative

Gabby Giffords Gabrielle Dee Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American retired politician and gun control advocate who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing from January 2007 until January 2012, when she resigned ...

on January 25, 2012, to concentrate on recovering from her injuries from the

2011 Tucson shooting On January 8, 2011, U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Six people were killed, including feder ...

. The seat was won by

Ron Barber Ronald Sylvester Barber (born August 25, 1945) is an American politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 2012 to 2015. Barber, a member of the Democratic Party from Arizona, served as district director for U.S ...

, a former aide to Giffords who was wounded in the attempt on her life.

Background

Governor of Arizona A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Jan Brewer Janice Kay Brewer (''née'' Drinkwine, formerly Warren; born September 26, 1944) is an American politician and author who was the 22nd governor of Arizona from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Brewer is the fourth woman (and was t ...

announced April 17 to be the date for the special primary elections and June 12 for the special general election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

, Giffords' District Director

Withdrew

* Matt Heinz, state representative

Declined

* Paula Aboud, Arizona Senate Whip. * John Adams, retired Brigadier General * David Crowe, software company owner * Steve Farley, Arizona House of Representatives * Jeff Latas, former vice chair of the

Arizona Democratic Party The Arizona Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix. Party organization The Arizona Democratic Party is organized into three parts: the state committee, the executive ...

and 2006 primary candidate * Linda J. Lopez, state senator *

Janet Napolitano Janet Ann Napolitano (; born November 29, 1957) is an American politician, lawyer, and university administrator who served as the 21st governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009 and third United States secretary of homeland security from 2009 to 20 ...

, former

and

United States Secretary of Homeland Security The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the U ...

* Daniel Patterson, state representative * Tim Sultan, program chair of the Democrats of Greater Tucson and 2004 primary candidate * Ramon Valadez, Pima County, Arizona Supervisor * Nan Stockholm Walden, Farmer Investments VP and former chief of staff to Senator Bill Bradley * Bruce Wheeler, state representative

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

* Frank Antenori, state senator and Iraq War veteran * Jesse Kelly,

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

veteran and 2010 Republican nominee *

Martha McSally Martha Elizabeth McSally (born March 22, 1966) is an American politician and former military pilot who served as a United States senator for Arizona from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the U.S. representative for ...

, U.S. Air Force colonel, first female USAF air combat pilot * Dave Sitton, businessman, broadcaster, and coach

Declined

Jonathan Paton Jonathan Paton (born June 10, 1971) is an American politician who served in both houses of the Arizona State Legislature. He served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, and participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a Republican, ...

, state senator and 2010 primary candidate

Results

General election

The following candidates were on the ballot: *

, (

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

), small business owner and Giffords' District Director * Jesse Kelly (

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

veteran and 2010 Republican nominee

Polling

Results

References

External links

Ron Barber campaign site

Jesse Kelly campaign site
{{2012 United States elections United States House of Representatives 8 Arizona 8 2012 8 Arizona 2012 8 Arizona 8 United States House of Representatives 2012 8 Arizona 8

Background

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Withdrew

Declined

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Results

General election

Polling

Results

See also

References

External links