PHOENIX – Since Vice President Kamala Harris launched her presidential campaign following President Joe Biden’s decision to end his re-election campaign, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly’s name has been listed, among others, in a list of potential running mates.

Here are 5 things to know about Arizona’s senator.

1. He served in the Navy

Per Kelly’s Senate website, he was a Navy pilot who “made multiple deployments on the aircraft carrier USS Midway and flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm.”

“Senator Kelly is the recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and multiple Air Medals,” the website reads. “He has logged more than 5,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft and has over 375 carrier landings.”

2. He was an astronaut

Mark Kelly, in a photo taken during his time as an astronaut (Courtesy: NASA via DVIDS)

Per his biography on NASA’s website, Kelly, who was Captain in the U.S. Navy, flew with NASA for the first time as a pilot on STS-108 in December 2001. The mission involved bringing a new crew to the International Space Station, as well as food, clothes and science equipment. 

Kelly, the biography states, was also on the crew of the second Space Shuttle flight after the destruction of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003. That mission, known as STS-121, had multiple objectives, including an analysis of safety improvements that debuted in the STS-114 mission, which was also called the Return to Flight mission by NASA.

NASA’s website states Kelly retired from the agency and from the U.S. Navy in October 2011.

3. He has a twin who took part in a NASA study with him

Scott Kelly, in a photo taken after he returned to Earth from a space mission in 2011. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

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Mark Kelly is not the only member of his family who worked as an astronaut: Scott Kelly is Mark’s twin brother.

In his NASA biography, Scott is listed as having logged “more than 520 days in space on four space flight.” In 2015, NASA officials said Scott spent a year onboard the International Space Station while Mark remained on Earth, as part of a study of identical twins that “helped scientists better understand the impacts of spaceflight on a human body.”

Scott NASA officials say, retired from the agency in 2016.

4. Kelly’s wife also served in Congress

Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords (left) and Mark Kelly (right), in a photo taken in 2013. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bernardo Fuller)

Kelly’s wife is Gabby Giffords, a former Arizona lawmaker and Congresswoman who was gravely wounded during a shooting in Tucson in 2011 that left a total of six people dead and 13 people injured.

The Associated Press wrote in 2019 that Giffords was a rising Democratic star before the shooting.

According to his campaign website, Kelly and Giffords were married in 2007. Giffords was featured in a Senate campaign ad for Kelly in 2020.

5. He never held public office prior to 2020

In their report on Kelly’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 2019, the Associated Press stated that Kelly never held political office prior to that point in time.

Kelly ran against then-incumbent Senator Martha McSally in 2020 for the Senate seat that was once held by late Sen. John McCain. McSally, who was appointed to the position, lost to Kelly in that election.

In 2022, Kelly ran for a Senate term in his own right, and won against Republican Blake Masters.

What are political experts saying about Kelly as Kamala Harris’ running mate?

We spoke with former Maricopa County Democratic Party Chair Steven Slugocki about Kelly, and his potential to be the next Democratic vice presidential candidate.

“He’s done a lot of work for the people of Arizona,” said Slugocki. “He led the CHIPS Act, which has made Arizona the leader in semiconductors in the world.”

Kelly, according to Slugocki, also brings border experience to the ticket, something that could give him a leg up on the other possible running mates.

“Obviously, being a border state, [Kelly] knows this better than anybody. He’s done a lot of great work there. He knows firsthand how critical the border is. He has been on the border. He has been working on this issue since he got elected. So, he has that firsthand experience that others may not.”

However, some fear Kelly does not have the national name recognition for the short campaign.

“He may not be well known in Pennsylvania or Michigan. You know, that is something we’d have to tell his story,” said Slugocki. “We’d have to get out and get the message of why he is such a strong addition to those ticket, so that maybe as of right now, that’s a weakness, but that’ll turn into a strength once people get to know him.”

Maricopa County voters in November will vote on Proposition 486 and decide whether the expenditure limit for the Maricopa County Community College District should be raised.

Current law 

In 1980, Arizona voters established an expenditure limit to restrict how much a community college district, including Maricopa Community Colleges, can spend, even if funding is available. 

• The expenditure limit for Arizona community colleges is calculated each year based on veteran expenditures in 1979-80 multiplied by factors for inflation and enrollment. 
• The current base limit sits just above $52 million. 
• A community college district that exceeds its expenditure limitation is subject to penalties based on the percentage of the excess expenditures.

The proposed change 

Proposition 486 will permanently adjust the base on which the expenditure limit is calculated from approximately $52 million to roughly $105 million. 

• Adjusting the base limit will allow the community colleges to use their existing budget without penalty. 
• This adjustment will account for increases in workforce programs, technology infrastructure, career and technical education (CTE), non-credit training, baccalaureate degrees, and programs that serve high school students.

“It’s important to remember that Proposition 486 isn’t a request for additional funding or for increased taxes,” said Courtney Coolidge, vice president of government affairs for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, which is supporting the measure. “It simply allows Maricopa Community Colleges to continue supporting students with a top-notch education without having to cut $100 million out of the system budget.”

The business community view 

The Chamber submitted a statement supporting Proposition 486 for the publicity pamphlet that contains arguments for and against the measure that will be mailed to voters before the election.

“The Maricopa Community College District (MCCCD) plays a crucial role in meeting the needs of our diverse and growing workforce. As one of the top employers in the region, MCCCD supported 108,295 jobs in the 2021-2022 fiscal year alone. It also contributed $7.9 billion in income to the Maricopa County economy, equivalent to 2.3% of the county’s total gross regional product,” the Chamber said. “Prop. 486 will allow Maricopa County’s community colleges to access the necessary funds needed to meet growing demand without imposing additional taxes on residents.”

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Public Safety has entered the “American’s Best Looking Cruiser Contest,” the state agency announced on July 15.

AZDPS submitted their new Chevrolet Camaro SS to the annual photo contest run by the American Association of State Troopers (AAST), according to a press release.

All 50 states are eligible to enter a photo of their best-looking patrol vehicle to the organization, and the public votes for their favorite.

The top 13 vote-getters will be featured on an AAST calendar, with the overall winner’s car illustrated on the cover. Every state except Hawaii is represented in this year’s contest.

Voting lasts from July 15 at 7 a.m. to July 29 at 9 a.m. on Survey Monkey or on AAST’s website.

The Arizona Camaro was ranked 14th as of Monday with 4,319 votes, trailing Nebraska (4,692) by 373 votes.

Florida (16,464), Kentucky (16,396) and West Virginia (12,127) were the top three, respectively, with one week of voting left to crown a winner.