Arizona senate candidate says Mark Kelly would give Harris 'jolt' as VP

Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego praised Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., as a “great” prospective choice to run with Vice President Kamala Harris on the party’s presidential ticket.

In an interview on CNN Wednesday, Gallego said Kelly would give Harris a “jolt” ahead of the November election, when Democrats will face off again against former President Trump.

“Adding Kelly to the ticket will add that extra jolt to the campaign,” Gallego told CNN’s Manu Raju. 

“And I think it’d be great for Democrats across the country… again, as a border state senator, [Kelly] understands border issues; as an astronaut, married to Gabby Giffords… It’s a good combination right there,” he said.

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Gallego is a Democratic candidate for Senate, running against Republican Kari Lake for an open seat vacated by retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz. Gallego currently holds a 3.4 percentage point lead over Lake in the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls.

President Biden endorsed Harris to be his successor after his stunning announcement on Sunday that he would no longer seek the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. The president withdrew from the race amid increasing pressure from party leaders who believe he would lose to Trump after witnessing Biden’s halting debate performance last month.

Vice President Kamala Harris, right, prepares to swear in Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) with his wife Gabrielle Giffords in the old senate chamber for the Ceremonial Swearing on Jan. 3, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Harris has now taken over Biden’s campaign and announced earlier this week she had secured support from enough delegates to claim the DNC nomination. Her team is now in the process of vetting several possible running mates, including Kelly, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. 

Kelly’s Democratic colleagues in the Senate have spoken highly of him. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., the party’s 2016 vice presidential nominee, told NBC News Kelly would be a “superb” choice for Harris.

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Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is a top contender for the Democratic nomination for vice president. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Kelly has “enormous depth and wisdom,” as well as “real common sense” and an ability to grasp “very complex” issues quickly, according to NBC News.

Hailing from the key battleground state of Arizona, Kelly could assist Harris in locking up western states and provide credibility on the border, which he has said is in “crisis.” He has a compelling life story and career, being a former Navy pilot and astronaut. His parents were both retired police officers, which could help Democrats dodge GOP attacks for being too soft on crime.

Kelly is married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., who was shot during a campaign event with constituents in 2011. He cared for her throughout her recovery and continues to do so. Both are leading advocates of gun control reforms. 

Harris and Trump are locked in an extremely close contest, according to a new national poll conducted entirely after Biden announced he was suspending his campaign and endorsing his vice president.

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Trump, who last week was formally nominated as the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential candidate, stands at 46% support among registered voters in an NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll.

Harris, who on Monday night said she had locked up the Democratic nomination thanks to verbal commitments from delegates at next month’s Democratic National Convention, stood at 45% support. Trump’s one point edge is well within the survey’s sampling error. Nine percent of those questioned were undecided.

Fox News Digital’s Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this update.