Sen. Mark Kelly Emerges As Unexpected VP Candidate For Kamala Harris

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) has emerged as a surprising running mate option for Vice President Kamala Harris now that she’s become Democrats’ likely nominee for president.

Kelly is a relatively lesser-known senator whose potential strengths as a VP candidate stem from his background — he’s a former fighter pilot, an astronaut, and husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords — and from the fact that he’s won statewide office in Arizona, a key swing state.

“Mark Kelly is extraordinary, and I think he should be on any short list, but I won’t comment beyond that,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) told HuffPost over the phone on Monday.

“We’ve got a lot of great choices in front of us, and that’s the first presidential decision that VP Harris has, so it’s her call, but I think you’re obviously looking for someone who can be a ferocious and crisp communicator,” Schatz said.

He added: “You may be looking for some geographic and demographic balance.”

The conventional wisdom among Democrats is that since Harris is a Black and Asian woman, picking a white person to join her on the ticket could help her appeal to white voters. Other potential Harris VP candidates include Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (Mich.), Josh Shapiro (Pa.), Roy Cooper (N.C.) and Andy Beshear (Ky.).

Calling Harris the right person to beat Donald Trump, Kelly endorsed the vice president on Sunday hours after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid.

“She has my support for the nomination, and Gabby and I will do everything we can to elect her President of the United States,” Kelly wrote on social media .

A spokesperson for Kelly declined to comment on the possibility he’d be tapped as a vice presidential candidate.

Kelly would also check another box that could help