Gabrielle Dee "Gabby" Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Arizona. As a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, she represented Arizona's 8th congressional district from January 3, 2007 until her resignation on January 25, 2012, after surviving an assassination attempt that left her with a severe brain injury. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress.