In an election to fill former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., congressional seat, Democratic candidate Ron Barber, middle, pauses as he celebrates a victory with Giffords, right, and his wife Nancy Barber, left, as he addresses supporters at a post election event, Tuesday, June 12, 2012, in Tucson, Ariz.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ron Barber, who almost died in the Arizona shooting that wounded former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, has been sworn in as a member of the House.
Barber is a Democrat who won a special election to succeed Giffords, his former boss. He defeated Republican Jesse Kelly, who narrowly lost to Giffords in 2010. Giffords was in Tucson during the campaign's final days to help her former district director.
[Read: Survivor of Shooting Spree Wins Arizona House Seat.]
Barber won about 52 percent of the vote while Kelly had 46 percent.
Both parties made claims about the significance of Barber's victory. Democrats cast the race as a referendum on Republican proposals for Social Security and Medicare. Republicans stressed that Barber's victory came after he emphasized his differences with President Barack Obama on health care and other issues.
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