True to form, retired-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) has launched her new "Gabby PAC" by announcing that it will have one Republican co-chair and one Democratic co-chair. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich (Dem.) and former Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (Repub.)
However, interestingly, the news release specifically says that the new PAC will look to support "Democratic candidates" - not Republican or independent candidates - "who favor working in a
bi-partisan way to find solutions to our challenges instead of partisanship and discord."
The news release begins with a quote from "Gabby and Mark" (Kelly, Giffords' husband and Space Shuttle Captain):
“We are thrilled to officially launch Gabby PAC. Gabby PAC willThe new PAC has also gone live with its website (www.GabbyPAC.com) and its Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/gabbypac).
only support candidates who are dedicated to working hard for commonsense, bipartisan
solutions that strengthen our communities and our entire country. This
commitment to public service over partisanship is what guided Gabby while she was
serving the people of Arizona and will be the guiding principle of Gabby PAC.”
The news release does not make any mention of whether the PAC will be partially funded with funds remaining in Giffords' campaign account ($354,000 as of June 30, 2012). Our previous article noted that the campaign account has been a very active contributor to the Arizona Democratic Party ($213,500) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (over $100,000).
Reich is well-known as the Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton, and he has continued to speak out as a frequent commentator and author. In fact, his latest book (Beyond Outrage) coincidentally comes out in paperback today.
Grayson has less of a national profile. According to his biography and Wikipedia articles, he was the Secretary of State for Kentucky between 2004-11. In 2010, he lost a primary battle to eventual winner Rand Paul for U.S. Senate, and has since been the Director for the Harvard University Institute for Politics. In his primary campaign, he received endorsements from conservative Republicans such as Mitch McConnell, Rick Santorum and Dick Cheney.
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