Mark Kelly, A Potential Democratic VP Candidate, Endorses The PRO Act

Sen. Mark Kelly (Ariz.), a contender to become Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket, told HuffPost on Wednesday that he would vote in favor of the pro-union legislation known as the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.

Kelly’s lack of full commitment to the PRO Act, as it’s known, has stood as a possible barrier to him becoming Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee, since labor unions are a crucial part of the Democratic coalition. Harris has become the presumptive nominee since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race on Sunday.

“Why would the Democrats even consider a senator for the vice presidency if the senator doesn’t support the PRO Act?” John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union, told ABC News .

But Kelly on Wednesday made clear in an interview with HuffPost that he would support the bill if it came to the Senate floor, affirming enthusiastic support for labor unions. He is not listed as a co-sponsor on the Senate’s most recent version.

“Unions loom large in our life, and I’m supportive of the PRO Act,” Kelly said, recounting how when his mother, a police officer, was injured, her union helped her recover.

“I would have voted for it on Day 1,” he added of the bill. “I would vote for it today. I am, like a lot of legislation, working to make it better. But if it came to the floor today or any day going back to the day I was sworn in, I would vote for it.”

The PRO Act amounts to a sweeping overhaul of labor law that Democrats believe would make it easier for workers to form unions and bargain with their employers.

Among other measures, the legislation would create stiff financial penalties for illegal union-busting; ban anti-union “captive