While the future Democratic nominee is uncertain following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will not see reelection, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly’s name has popped up as a potential candidate for both president and vice president.
Who is Mark Kelly?
Mark Kelly is a moderate, a retired NASA astronaut and married to former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Kelly was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2020 when he defeated Republican Martha McSally.
‘Best image of all the electorate’
Mike Noble, CEO and founder of Noble Predictive Insights, thinks Kelly could be the perfect fit on the Democrats’ presidential ticket.
“Mark Kelly has fantastic numbers of all the elected officials in the entire state of Arizona. Mark Kelly has the best image of all the electorate,” he said. “We have four months left. I think there’s gonna be some more twists and turns from now until election day, so buckle up, hold on and grab your popcorn.”
Arizona is one of five states that have a “resign to run” law,” meaning someone holding public office would have to resign that position before running for another office.
However, that law does not affect federal office holders, so it wouldn’t apply to Sen. Kelly if he decides to make a move.
Kelly endorses Harris as Democratic nominee
Kelly released a statement after President Biden announced he was dropping out, saying in part that he “couldn’t be more confident” that Kamala Harris can beat Donald Trump in the 2024 Election.
I couldn’t be more confident that Vice President @KamalaHarris is the right person to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country into the future. She has my support for the nomination, and Gabby and I will do everything we can to elect her President of the United States. 🇺🇸
— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) July 21, 2024
It takes great humility to make the difficult decision that President Biden has made to not seek re-election, but that’s the Joe Biden I know — someone who puts what he believes is best for his country above all else.
— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) July 21, 2024
