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Surgeon who helped save Giffords' life gets her advice on run against Flake

Randy Friese has raised his public profile in recent weeks with his opposition to the Senate bill that would repeal Obamacare.

Arizona lawmaker and trauma surgeon Randy Friese, who helped save Gabby Giffords’ life after the Tucson shootings six years ago, says he’s getting the former congresswoman’s advice on a possible U.S. Senate run against Republican incumbent Jeff Flake.

Friese, a second-term Democratic state representative from Tucson, tells me on this weekend’s “Sunday Square Off” that he’s been consulting with Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, as he decides whether to take on Flake.

Giffords and Kelly have considered Flake a good friend. But Kelly told me last spring his gun-safety organization, Americans for Responsible Solutions, would “100 percent” look to get involved in the Arizona Senate race on behalf of a candidate who supports the ARS agenda.

Flake has cast votes that conflict with ARS positions.

Friese has raised his public profile in recent weeks with his opposition to the Senate bill that would repeal Obamacare.

He said he would decide on a Senate bid by the end of the summer.

There is one Democrat already in the race - attorney and activist Deedra Abboud.

Also on this weekend’s “Square Off”;

-The volunteer campaign to repeal Arizona’s school-voucher expansion has just one month left to get the tens of thousands of petition signatures needed to put it on the November 2018 ballot. We get an update from Beth Lewis, a school teacher and chairwoman of campaign organizer Save Our Schools Arizona, and Dawn Penich-Thacker, a school parent and communications coordinator for SOS.

-Arizona is taking the lead in planning what would be the nation’s first constitutional convention in more than 200 years. I’m joined by Republican State Rep. Kelly Townsend of Mesa, who will lead the planning at a September meeting at the Arizona Capitol of legislators from around the country. Could a convention really happen?

“Sunday Square Off” airs at 8 a.m. Sundays on 12 News, right after “Meet the Press.”

Gabby Giffords advising her surgeon on run against Jeff Flake

Gabby Giffords is advising the trauma surgeon who helped save her life on a possible U.S. Senate run against Republican Jeff Flake.

Campaign against school-voucher law faces deadline

The volunteer campaign to repeal Arizona’s school-voucher expansion has just one month left to get the petition signatures needed to put it on the 2018 ballot.

Arizona leads planning for historic constitutional convention

Arizona lawmakers are taking the lead in planning what would be the nation’s first constitutional convention in more than 200 years.

Could a constitutional turn into chaos?

The Arizona legislator leading the planning for a constitutional convention responds to the greatest concern: that it would devolve into chaos.

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