Ron Barber, Reluctant but Loyal, Agreed to Seek Giffords's Seat TUCSON - When Gabrielle Giffords began her first run for Congress in 2005, Ron Barber retired from his job and volunteered to help her. When she took office, Mr. Barber immediately signed on as her district director, hiring local staff members and arranging her events back home. And when Ms. Giffords was shot in January 2011, Mr. Barber was just a few feet away. A bullet struck him near his groin, and another hit his cheek, exiting through his neck. Last month, two weeks after Ms. Giffords stepped down from Congress, Mr. Barber announced that he would run for her seat. Mr. Barber, 66, has spent much of the last year recovering from his injuries, with countless hours of physical therapy to regain movement in his left leg. Although Ms. Giffords's Congressional office reopened days after the shooting, Mr. Barber was not well enough to return to work until July. Even then, he could stay in the office for only four hours at a time. By the time the doctor told him he was well enough to work full time, Mr. Barber was announcing his run in the June special election for the southern Arizona district. In many ways, Mr. Barber's bid seems obvious: he was constantly by Ms. Giffords's side, sharing many of her political views and traveling through the district she represented. Since the shooting, he has been a regular presence on local television, sponsoring memorial events through a foundation he created. But Mr. Barber, who worked for decades in social service administration, had promised his wife that he would never run for office. He describes himself as a reluctant candidate, cringing when he hears the word "politician." Still, when asked why he decided to run, he lit up with a broad smile and sparkling eyes. "Because Gabby asked me to," he said. And I really haven't ever said no to Gabby. After Mr. Barber announced his bid and received the endorsement of Ms. Giffords, who continues to recover in Houston, several other Democrats who had planned to run in June pulled out, saying that they would concentrate on the fall election. Mr. Barber says that he has not made up his mind about whether he will run in November but has not ruled it out. Everything in all of our lives changed after that day. We certainly wouldn't be in this place had it not," he said over dinner at the oldest Mexican restaurant in Tucson. I didn't know what I was getting into, so I really want to just take it one thing at a time. At a bakery the next morning, chatting with potential voters, Mr. Barber looked at ease. He carried his cane, a relative rarity these days, for extra balance as he stood for a couple of hours. These days, he mostly relies on a custom-made brace, which allows him to exercise each morning; a 10-mile ride takes him 45 minutes on a stationary bicycle. With wide name recognition and the backing of Ms. Giffords's support network, Mr. Barber is seen by many as a front-runner. But his aides say they are taking nothing for granted in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats. Last month, there was a fund-raiser in Washington for Mr. Barber, headlined by Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, and his aides say he will need to raise still more money. But he could also benefit from a battle on the other side: six Republicans vying for the nomination will compete in an April primary. Mr. Barber is billing himself as a quintessential moderate, and boasts that the former and current mayors of Tucson - one a Republican and one a Democrat - are his campaign chairmen. There is little difference on the issues between Ms. Giffords and Mr. Barber, who says that his top priorities, even if he has only a few months in office, would be border security and care for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. There are still scars from the shooting. The bottom part of his left leg remains mostly numb, except when he feels pain. There is a small pockmark on his left cheek where the bullet entered his face. It could easily be mistaken for a dimple. Mr. Barber has grown used to the spotlight in the last 14 months. Not long after the shooting, he allowed reporters into his home and gave them a firsthand account. He spoke haltingly, wincing as he recalled seeing pools of blood around him and bullet casings after the pop-pop of the gun. This was before his first physical therapy session, and he was using a wheelchair. His daughter Crissi Blake, a nurse at the hospital where he had spent days in intensive care, gently scolded him not to rush the recovery process. "The hardest part is just getting him to chill," she said then. If he had his way, he would be back next week. But Mr. Barber listened, focusing on hours of physical therapy each day. After several weeks, he went through intensive therapy, learning strategies to deal with the haunting memories. The nightmares have mostly stopped. His grandchildren occasionally ask about what happened to hurt Papa, as they call him. When he told them about his run for office, they asked, "Is it safe?" Nancy Barber, his wife of 44 years, has laid down some rules for the election. He needs to make time for the family's Sunday dinner. He needs to exercise and eat well and get eight hours of sleep nightly. "Once I knew that all those things could happen, I understood that this was something he really needed to do," Ms. Barber said. Mr. Barber himself needed to be persuaded to run, and initially dismissed entreaties from local leaders. After some prodding from Democrats in Washington, he asked them to ensure that other candidates from his own party would step aside in the special election. Ultimately, he said, he decided to run only after he was assured that his family would support the decision. While he is still publicly mulling a run for the fall, Mr. Barber has privately told other candidates that he only wants to finish out the remainder of the term. When he sees voters, they often look at him quizzically at first, not sure where why they recognize him. But his name usually prompts a flash of recognition, and the occasional sympathetic inquiry: "How are you doing?" I don't know what they expect. I'm not a sick person," he said. I knew this would be hard, but I have no doubt I have the strength to do it.