Report: Arizona Law Puts Giffords’ Seat at Risk : Roll Call
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) was notified Monday of an obscure state statute that could jeopardize Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ seat as the Arizona Democrat recuperates from a gunshot wound, the Washington Post reported.
“With Rep. Giffords’s tremendous progress, an answer to many prayers, we’ve deemed it to be far too early and entirely inappropriate to speculate, analyze, consider” the implications of the statute, Brewer’s deputy chief of staff, Paul Senseman, told the Washington Post in an e-mail.
The statute holds that a public office shall be deemed vacant if the officeholder does not “discharge the duties of office for the period of three consecutive months.” Under state law, the governor would call for a special primary election and a special general election to fill a vacant office, unless that vacancy occurs within six months of the next general election. The special primary would be called within 72 hours after the office is officially declared vacant.