HispanicBusiness

Arizona Democrat Ron Barber will finish the congressional term of his former boss, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Barber soundly defeated Republican Jesse Kelly by about 7 percentage points in Tuesday's Congressional District 8 special election. Green Party candidate Charlie Manolakis received 2 percent of the vote.

Barber rode a 9-point lead in the 147,000 early votes cast -- which accounted for 75 percent of the votes counted as of Tuesday night -- to victory in this nationally watched race in which more than $2.2 million was spent by outside political groups on TV ads and mailers.

The win completes Barber's transition from a career as a behind-the-scenes bureaucrat to a U.S. congressman.

Two years ago Kelly lost to Giffords by a mere 4,000 votes. Barber more than tripled that advantage, holding a lead of more than 13,500 votes with just a small number of Pima County votes left to be counted.

Although the vote tabulation is incomplete, Kelly actually appears to have won among voters who went to the polls on election day by a few hundred votes -- but not nearly enough to overcome Barber's early-voter advantage.

"A year ago I never dreamt that I'd be standing here, thanking you for your support," said Barber. Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, stood by his side during his victory speech.

"But, as you know, life takes unexpected turns," Barber said.

He was, of course, referring to the January 2011 mass shootings in Tucson, in which six people were killed and 13 wounded, including Giffords and Barber. Barber was shot twice and suffered nerve damage in his left leg.

Giffords' resignation in January, to focus on her recovery from being shot in the head, set this special election in motion.

Barber thanked Giffords for her service, told her she is an inspiration to all and promised to continue her legacy in Congress.

"This was never Gabby's seat. It's not my seat. It's your seat. This seat belongs to the people of Southern Arizona," Barber said. "I promise I will work every bit as hard as Mo Udall, Jim Kolbe and Gabrielle Giffords to honor that trust."

The victory gives Barber strong momentum heading into November election's in the newly drawn Congressional District 2, which covers much of the same turf but has a much more favorable electorate for Democrats.

Kelly's loss -- his second in two consecutive attempts to win the CD8 seat -- puts his political future in question. He'll face a primary challenge now in CD2 from Republican Martha McSally, who would have withdrawn had he won this election. And fundraising could now be difficult because of the stigma of being a two-time general-election loser.

After calling Barber to congratulate him, Kelly spoke briefly to supporters Tuesday night. Kelly said "only God knows" what his future holds. He said he will "most likely" run in CD2 in August, but said wouldn't make an official announcement until today or later.

"We are blessed by God to live in a country where voters get exactly what they want," Kelly said. "So they have spoken here and we respect that."

Barber, 66, a former district director for Giffords, sold himself as the best candidate based on his deep roots in and in-depth knowledge of the district. Prior to serving 5 { years as Giffords' district director, he worked