5 potential running mates for Kamala Harris

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Friday, July 26, 2024

U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. | Public Domain/United States Senate

Sen. Mark Kelly

First elected to the U.S. Senate in a 2020 special election to finish the term of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., has a history of outperforming other Democrats in his state.

A former astronaut and the husband of shooting victim, gun control advocate and former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., Kelly beat his Republican opponent Martha McSally by 2.4 percentage points even as President Joe Biden carried his state by a smaller margin of just 0.4 percentage points.

Similarly, in 2022, Kelly won election to a first full term by 4.9 percentage points. Meanwhile, Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs only won her election by 0.7 percentage points. Kelly’s ties to the battleground state of Arizona and his history of strong electoral performances there could be viewed as an asset in Harris’ efforts to secure the state’s 11 electoral college votes in the fall.

A potential selection of Kelly and the election of a Harris-Kelly ticket could affect the partisan makeup of the U.S. Senate during the second half of their hypothetical first term. While Hobbs will have the ability to appoint a replacement for Kelly if he vacates his seat to become Harris’ vice president, that person will only serve until 2026, when a special election to finish the remainder of Kelly’s term would take place.

In light of Arizona’s status as a competitive swing state, Kelly’s selection may result in Democrats losing control of a U.S. Senate seat they otherwise would have held. It is not uncommon for Senate seats once held by members of a presidential ticket to switch parties in special or regularly scheduled elections taking place during their administration.

In 2010, Republican Mark Kirk won then-President Barack Obama’s Senate seat in the deep blue state of Illinois. In 1994, Republican Fred Thompson won the special election to finish the remainder of then-Vice President Al Gore’s term after Gore vacated his U.S. Senate seat from Tennessee upon taking office. That seat has remained in Republican hands ever since.

During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Kelly has received an “F” rating from the pro-life advocacy group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America due to his record of voting “to eliminate or prevent protections for the unborn and for children born alive after failed abortions.”

On the other hand, Kelly has a 100% score from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, indicating strong support for pro-abortion legislation. The LGBT advocacy group Human Rights Campaign gave Kelly a 94% score for the 117th U.S. Congress due to his support for pro-LGBT legislation.