July 25, 2024
After Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in as the Democratic frontrunner in the presidential election following President Joe Biden’s departure from the race, Democrats are racing to select Harris’ running mate as she prepares to face the Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump in November.
Although no choices have been made yet, the Harris campaign has requested vetting materials from potential vice presidential nominee picks, including North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, based on previous reporting by USA TODAY.
Kelly, one of the few members of Congress being floated as Harris’ VP pick, is viewed as a top contender for the job due to his military background and centrist position in the party. The Arizona senator also represents a key battleground state barely won by Biden in 2020 but is now being led by Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.
Who is Mark Kelly?
A former astronaut and U.S. Navy captain, Kelly’s political career began a few years ago when he ran to fill a seat held by former Arizona Sen. John McCain, who died from brain cancer in 2018. Kelly flipped the previously Republican seat in the 2020 special election to serve out the remaining two years of McCain’s six-year term and won reelection in 2022 for a full term.
Kelly has been a centrist voice in Congress, criticizing the Biden Administration for its handling of immigration at the Southern border in 2022. Due to his background in science, he also helped shape the CHIPS and Science Act.
Bugs Marlowe