Giffords Successor Is Sworn In to House Ron Barber, a former aide to Representative Gabrielle Giffords, was sworn in to replace her on Tuesday, after defeating a conservative Republican in a special election last week in southern Arizona. With his wife and grandchildren looking on, Mr. Barber, a Democrat, took the Congressional oath of office Tuesday afternoon, 18 months after he and Ms. Giffords were wounded in a shooting rampage at a meet-and-greet with constituents outside a Tucson grocery store. Six people were killed in the shooting, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl, and 13 were injured. Mr. Barber was shot in the face and leg. Lawmakers from both parties welcomed him to Congress. "The world sometimes leads us down strange and troubling paths," said Representative Ed Pastor, a veteran Arizona Democrat. Mr. Barber's swearing-in ceremony, he said, was a tribute to Ms. Giffords and "the resilience of the people of Arizona." When Ms. Giffords decided to step aside to focus on her recovery, she endorsed Mr. Barber, 66, to be her successor. He beat Jesse Kelly, a Republican businessman backed by the Tea Party, in Arizona's Eighth Congressional District, based in Tucson. "Nobody would have wished for the circumstances that made this seat vacant," said Representative Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican. We all miss our colleague, Gabby Giffords, but it was her wish that you fill this seat for the remainder of her term, and she got her wish as it was the wish of so many Arizonans. Mr. Barber vowed to avoid the bitter partisan battles that have made Congress unproductive and unpopular. He said he would strive to live up to the example set by Representative Morris Udall, a Democrat, and Senator Barry Goldwater, a Republican - two Arizonans who maintained a cordial political rivalry during their long careers in Congress. "They came together many times to do what was right for their state and their country," Mr. Barber said. I am going to approach my work for the people of southern Arizona with an eye not towards partisan victory but towards American achievement. Mr. Barber will serve the remaining six months in Ms. Giffords's term. He is seeking a full term in November, but must survive an August primary to make it to the general election.