Politician and member of the Democratic party who became the U.S. Representative for Arizona's 3rd congressional district in 2003.
He earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Arizona and was later elected to the Tucson Unified School District board.
He was a leading candidate for Secretary of the Interior when President Obama was elected but ultimately was not appointed.
His father was a migrant worker from Mexico who entered the United States in 1945 through the Bracero Program, a series of laws and diplomatic agreements between the US and Mexico, for the importation of temporary contract laborers from Mexico to the US.
He blamed the assassination attempt on Gabrielle Giffords on the the violent rhetoric that had been used by Tea Party members.
