Abortion-rights group applauds Ron Barber win in Arizona

By Elise Viebeck - 06/13/12 04:24 PM ET

NARAL Pro-Choice America praised Ron Barber, the Democrat elected Tuesday to replace former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), for the "pro-choice values" he will bring to Congress.

Barber beat his Republican opponent by six points in the special election to replace Giffords — a centrist Democrat who supported abortion rights in office.

"Rep.-elect Barber is someone who will respect the fundamental values of freedom and privacy," NARAL President Nancy Keenan said in a statement.

"He will stand up to those who seek to undermine a woman’s right to choose. His win reflects this district’s commitment to pro-choice policies."

Barber served as Giffords's district director and was wounded in the Jan. 8, 2011, shooting that killed six and wounded more than a dozen others. Giffords retired from office in order to recover from the head wound she sustained that day.

NARAL noted that it ran phone banks that made "nearly one thousand dials" promoting Barber and that the group's political action committee contributed $5,000 to his campaign.

During the campaign, Republicans sought to tie Barber to President Obama while Democrats blasted the GOP candidate, Jesse Kelly, for taking a hard line against entitlement spending.