Arizona Dems endorse Sen. Mark Kelly for VP hours after saying they'd leave pick to Harris

The Arizona Democratic Party Executive Board endorsed Sen. Mark Kelly to be Kamala Harris’ vice presidential pick on Wednesday, hours after the party chair stopped short of endorsing him and said the decision should be up to Harris.

Democrats from Kelly's home state are lining up behind him as Harris vets contenders for the vice presidential slot.. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Raquel Terán, a congressional candidate running to fill his seat, publicly boosted Kelly on Wednesday. The state party's executive board followed suit.

"Senator Kelly has been a champion for Arizonans, engaging them in the path towards building a better Arizona and creating a strong and diverse coalition along the way. Senator Kelly is exactly the type of leader Arizonans want, and America needs. The path to the White House runs through Arizona, and we are confident that with Kamala Harris and Mark Kelly at the top of the ticket, Democrats will win in November," Democratic Party chair Yolanda Bejarano said in a statement.

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It was a shift for Bejarano, who said Wednesday morning that the decision should be left to Harris. After Bejarano finished the news conference and returned to the party's headquarters, members of the executive board expressed that they wanted to move ahead with a Kelly endorsement. The group made its decision to endorse via email correspondence, party spokesperson Patricia Socarras said.

Kelly isn't the only vice-presidential prospect getting a boost from his home state. The Philadelphia Democratic Party voted to endorse Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to run alongside Harris this week. Kelly did not speak with state party leaders Wednesday, according to his spokesperson.

Democrats had gathered at the UFCW Local 99 building in Phoenix to show their support for Harris to serve as their party’s presidential nominee. President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Harris on Sunday. Within a day, Harris garnered enough support from Democratic National Convention delegates to clinch the nomination.

“There is only one candidate who will support our rights and freedoms and that’s Vice President Harris,” state Rep. Quanta Crews, D-Phoenix, said.

Arizona’s 85 DNC delegates and six alternates unanimously support Harris. She also has the backing of many Arizona elected officials including Kelly, Gov. Katie Hobbs and Rep. Ruben Gallego.

After Democratic support consolidated behind Harris, speculation swung to who she may choose as a running mate. Harris is said to be considering a number of Democrats including Kelly, Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

In a sign that Kelly is taking his vice presidential chances seriously, the senator said Wednesday he would vote for the pro-union Protecting the Right to Organize Act during an interview with HuffPost. Kelly is not a co-sponsor of the PRO Act, and union leaders this week have said that could pose issues for Democrats in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin where labor is a major part of the party’s coalition.

“Unions loom large in our life, and I’m supportive of the PRO Act,” Kelly said. “I would vote for it today. I am, like a lot of legislation, working to make it better. But if it came to the floor today or any day going back to the day I was sworn in, I would vote for it.”

Bejarano said at her Phoenix press conference that she and labor leaders had urged Kelly to sign on to the PRO Act, but said she did not recall specifics from their conversation. Bejarano said she supports Kelly either way and noted he has union support around the state.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Dems endorse Mark Kelly for VP after deferring to Kamala Harris