Opinion: The Democrats Need a Hero. They Actually Already Have One

Democrats are facing two crucial questions: (1) Keep Joe or dump Joe; and (2) in the event of the latter, do you bump Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket or hold an open convention?

Most conversations between Democrats never get past these two questions. Instead, they dissolve into shouts of “You don’t know!” “Well, you don’t know either!” But if two Democrats could somehow agree that Harris should lead the ticket, the obvious follow-up question is: Who would be the best choice for vice president?

The media has started to throw out candidates for this scenario and they’re mainly the same ones bandied about for an open convention: Governors Andy Beshear, Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, Gavin Newsom, and J.B. Pritzker.

But most governors relish their jobs as CEOs of their states. When Biden secured the nomination in 2020, he invited Michigan Gov. Whitmer to meet him in Delaware for vetting. According to Whitmer, Biden asked her, “Why do you want to be vice president?” She told HOUR Detroit Magazine that her response was, “Joe, I’m here because you asked me to be here. I love my job. I love being in Michigan. There’s nowhere else I want to go…”

Instead of combing over the same names, it made sense to try some reverse engineering and lay out the credentials that would complement Harris while adding general appeal and electability. Those qualities include:

• Someone from a swing state

• Gender, race and compelling origin story

• Military experience/patriotism

• Devoted to their family

• Foreign policy experience

• Someone who’d want the job and gets along with Harris

Considering all this, only one name checks all the boxes: Senator Mark Kelly.

Kelly has represented swing state Arizona since December 2020 when he defeated incumbent Martha McSally. He won his last election in 2022, dispensing with Peter Thiel protege Blake Masters. A proud centrist, Kelly is bipartisan, especially when it comes to border policy. Arizona has been leaning blue since John McCain died, but Krysten Sinema’s choice to cozy up to Wall Street has placed that in jeopardy. Kelly on the ticket might increase the odds of Democrat Ruben Gallego sliding into Sinema’s seat in November.

With a woman of color running for POTUS, it makes political sense to choose a white man for the VP slot. Kelly’s upbringing lines up with the American Dream. He was born in New Jersey to two police officers. Lots of people have dads who are cops, but a mom? That’s a fantastic story. Kelly attended public schools and received his college degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. He later added a Masters in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Living in the Naval Observatory would just make sense.

After college, Kelly and his twin brother Scott joined the Navy and served as naval aviators for nine years. Kelly completed two carrier deployments to the Persian Gulf and logged 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. (Compare this to J.D. Vance who spent four years in the Marines, including six months in Iraq where he served as a “combat correspondent.”) Kelly’s service and nerves of steel resulted in a chest full of medals. Then NASA came calling. In 1996, Kelly and his brother were selected to train as Space Shuttle pilots. During his years as an astronaut, Kelly lived in Houston which might also boost efforts for Democrats to make progress in Texas.

The documentary Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down offers a remarkable glimpse of Kelly’s devotion to his wife after a horrific tragedy. Kelly and former Arizona Congresswoman Giffords had been married just four years and were ready to start a family. They were days away from Giffords’ first fertility treatment when she was shot in the head during a 2011 assassination attempt. Six people died, including a congressional staffer.

Giffords remains partially paralyzed and suffers from aphasia. A huge chunk of her skull had to be replaced. (The original chunk is preserved in the couple’s freezer—just watch the documentary.) The rehabilitation process was arduous and Giffords refers to Kelly as “My partner. My rock.” With many limitations, Giffords has regained the ability to walk, talk, sing, laugh… and advise Kelly on his political career.

Giffords is an inspiration. She is also a victim of gun violence in a nation where Republicans have buckled to the NRA and done little while mass murders became a daily occurrence. With Giffords serving as second lady, perhaps that would move the needle on significant gun legislation.

Kelly also has two daughters from his first marriage. It shouldn’t matter, but in Trump’s America, it’s worth noting that the Kelly daughters are beautiful.

It’s not foreign policy experience exactly, but Kelly can claim that he has a unique global perspective having logged 54 days in space. In one 2008 mission, Kelly commanded Discovery to deliver two essential parts to the International Space Station: a robotic arm built in Japan and a part to fix the only toilet on station. Hero!

Would Kelly want the job? He’s one of 100 senators so being the vice president who can potentially break ties in the Senate seems like a step up. Plus, Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs gets to name a replacement to the senate seat should it be vacated.

Kelly and Harris also appear to have a warm relationship. In May 2023, Harris posted, “Senator Mark Kelly has been a fearless leader who has served this nation in the halls of the Senate and from thousands of miles above Earth. Today, I am congratulating my friend Senator Kelly on his well-earned induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.”

There are unknowns, of course. Kelly has been vetted for the highest state office, but not for national office which comes with a deeper level of scrutiny. Another drawback is that Kelly—like many astronauts—is of average height. This shouldn’t matter but again… Trump.

Kelly isn’t making any sort of play publicly. Last week, he was interviewed by Ian Bremmer and stated, “My expectation is we’re going to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.” He added, “To go back to the Donald Trump administration would be a huge mistake.”

In the past week, Kelly’s name has started to be discussed in this context. A recent Politico poll showed Kelly as one of four Democrats who are outpolling Biden by five points in key battleground states.

A patriot and devoted husband, Kelly would appeal to men and women. And finally, every politician wishes he could campaign in two places at once so it’s a huge bonus that Kelly’s twin is identical.

Kelly’s office did not respond to a request to comment.

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