do well, almost. [ laughter ] my partner, my rock, mark kelly. [ cheers ] [ applause ] thanks, gabby for that kind introduction. none of this is possible without your inspiration and your support. decision 2020 and the race to the finish line all eyes are on battle ground arizona. the winner could determine which party controls the u.s. senate. effectively a stalemate 47 seats for democrats, 47 seats for republicans. six races to be decided. still a lot of votes to be counted. getting some new information on the balance of power in the u.s. senate. cnn can project mark kelly husband of gabby giffords will be the next senator from
representative gabrielle gifford, democrat, arizona. during your campaign, some of your photos and everything showed your fiance, mark kelly, who is who? he s an astronaut. representative gabrielle giffords is surely the only lawmaker whose email box is filled with love notes from space. good morning. it s a really good morning in space. i would like to thank my wonderful wife, gabrielle. i rise today to make clear the immediate need for a comprehensive immigration reform package. i rise today to express a strong support for the college student relief act. i rise today to take to the women who have served our country with honor and distinction. gabby was a star. she might decide to run for senate. she might decide to run for governor. she might decide to run for president some day.
money and spent it very strategically and i applaud gabby for getting out there and fighting fire with fire. i ve known the darkest of days, days of pain and uncertainty recovery. gabby speaks with a kind of authority that nobody else can kind of speak with. her experiences give her the credibility. we are at a cross roads. we can be on the right side of history. please join us in this fight. my dad died in 2013. my mom lives outside tucson deep
fun they want to have fun i remember each morning walking into the hospital and being so excited to go up to gabby s room because i felt like each day i knew there would be something new she would be able to do. january, february, march april, may, june, july take your glasses off. she had to wear a helmet when she moved around, which she did not like. we can t take that risk. that helmet was the substitute for a skull to protect her brain. when she first had her injury, she had some of her skull removed to help release the pressure, as the brain swells. gabby s injury was beyond what most of us can imagine. and spouses and families all can respond in different ways.
testimony you re giving is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god. our first witness is mark kelly. he s a retired astronaut. u.s. navy captain. please go ahead, sir. did you know our family has been immeasurably affected by gun violence. gabby s speech is a distant memory. she struggles to walk and she s partially blind. i think there are really some very effective things that we can do and one is senator, the background check. let s make it difficult for the criminals, the terrorists, and the mentally ill to get a gun. our next witness is wayne lapeer, executive vice president ceo of the national rifle association. law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent and deranged criminals. the problem is criminals don t cooperate with them. the mentally ill don t cooperate with them. you have to put a police