Sen. Mark Kelly Eyed as Potential VP Choice for Kamala Harris

U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat known for his notable electoral successes in the traditionally Republican state of Arizona, is being considered as a potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris in her upcoming campaign. According to NBC, Harris’ team has requested vetting materials from Kelly and four other candidates, based on information from two anonymous campaign sources.

Senator Kelly, a former astronaut and U.S. Navy captain, first entered the Senate in 2020 by winning a special election to complete the term of the late Senator John McCain. He defeated Republican Martha McSally, who was appointed to the seat in 2019. In 2022, he secured re-election for a full six-year term.

Kelly’s career spans from flying combat missions in the Gulf War to being selected as a NASA space shuttle pilot in 1996. Notably, Kelly and his identical twin brother, Scott Kelly, are the only siblings to have both traveled into orbit, adding a unique chapter to their storied careers.

The Arizona senator is married to former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in Tucson in 2011 that tragically claimed six lives. Giffords was shot in the head and placed in a medically induced coma during her recovery. The couple later co-founded the nonprofit organization Americans for Responsible Solutions, now renamed Giffords, to advocate for gun control measures like universal background checks and red flag laws.

Kelly’s Senate seat was last held by a Democrat in 1962 when Carl Hayden won his seventh term. In his 2022 re-election, Kelly defeated Republican challenger Blake Masters by a significant margin. Upon the departure of Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who switched from Democrat to Independent and did not seek re-election this year, Kelly is set to become Arizona’s senior senator.

Leaving NASA and the Navy in 2011 to support Giffords during her recovery, Kelly became the fourth retired astronaut to be elected to Congress. He positions himself as a moderate Democrat, having even criticized President Joe Biden on border issues, despite voting in line with Biden’s positions 94.5% of the time.