Arizona senator considered top contender for president, vice president

PHOENIX – 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.