A former aide to ex-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords announced Monday that he is running for a full term in Arizona's 2nd Congressional District in November.

Ron Barber is already running in a June special election to serve as an interim replacement for Giffords, who was wounded in a shooting rampage in January 2011. He said he decided to also run in the fall for a full term in the redrawn district.

"I'm very excited about the second race, and I'm going to give it my all," he said.

Barber, who served as a district director for Giffords, was wounded in the same shooting as the former congresswoman and has limited use of one leg.

Giffords resigned from her seat on Jan. 25, a little more than a year after she was shot at a meet-and-greet with constituents in Tucson. Six people were killed and 13 others, including Barber and Giffords, were wounded.

Giffords said she needs to focus on recovering from the gunshot wound she suffered to the head. She is living in Houston with her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly.

Giffords has endorsed Barber's run for the six-month term in the 8th District. Barber said he spoke with both Giffords and Kelly over the weekend about his decision to run for a full term.

"They've giving me 100 percent of their support," he said.

Giffords and Kelly both posted notes on their Facebook pages Monday to endorse Barber's bid. "Ron will stand up for hard-working Arizona families and we hope you will join us in supporting him," both statements said.

After his initial announcement for the special election, some questioned why Barber deferred to declare whether he'd seek a full term later this year. Barber said he mulled the decision for the past five weeks and waited until his doctor and family approved.

He also said he felt energized while campaigning for the temporary seat, where he will face off against one of four Republicans vying for the GOP nomination in a special primary on April 17.

Barber faced a May deadline to file for the full term, which meant he'd have to jump in without knowing the results of the June 12 election for the temporary seat. He now faces competition from several other Democrats who have announced their candidacy for the full term, including state representative Matt Heinz, state Sen. Paula Aboud, and former University of Arizona student Nomiki Konst, who started a group focused on civics and political education for young tech workers and entertainers.

One Democratic candidate, state Rep. Steve Farley, said he's dropping out because of Barber's decision.

"I'm going to do everything I can to get Ron elected," said Farley, who instead plans to run for the state Senate. Farley said he had entered the congressional race assuming Barber was not going to seek the full term.

"I would have loved to have been in there myself, but I think Ron would be the best candidate right now," he said.

Heinz plans to stay in the race, said campaign manager Matt Brauer. "At this time, our plans are unchanged, and we're pressing forward," he said.

Brauer said it's hard to say what effect Giffords' endorsement will have on the race and that he'd let voters make that call. He acknowledged, however, that Giffords' endorsement "means a lot to a lot of people."

Calls to Aboud and Konst were not immediately returned.

The current 8th District is considered a swing district that either Republicans or Democrats can claim. The newly drawn 2nd Congressional District, which will replace it in the general election, is also a swing district but slightly favors Democrats.

The Associated Press