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.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) looks at reporters during a press conference following the weekly Senate caucus luncheons on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 9, 2024. REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/File Photo Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, REUTERS
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 .
In 2022, Kelly campaigned heavily in support of abortion access , which has since become a prominent issue for voters in the state after the Arizona Supreme Court's reimplementation of a Civil War-era abortion law sparked a tug-of-war of political action and heated debate in the state.
After Harris announced she is seeking the Democratic nomination Sunday, Kelly was quick to endorse her, which contributed to the rumblings that he was a potential VP pick.
What did Kelly do before serving in Congress?
Before he was elected to Congress, Kelly, who grew up in West Orange, N.J., served in the U.S. Navy as a fighter pilot. In 1996, NASA accepted Mark and his identical twin brother, Scott , as space shuttle pilots. Kelly went on to fly four space shuttle missions.
In 2007, Kelly married former Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords , who was suffered a head injury in a 2011 mass shooting. Since then, Kelly has been a spokesman for gun-control reform. He completed his final space shuttle mission in 2011 and announced his NASA retirement shortly after, citing his wife's health needs.
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