Sen. Mark Kelly, not saying much about VP prospects, gets an endorsement from Arizona ally

An ally of Sen. Mark Kelly has endorsed him to serve as the Democratic Party's vice-presidential nominee, even as Kelly himself downplays the possibility.

Former state Sen. Raquel Terán, who Kelly has endorsed in her bid for Congress, announced Wednesday she wants Kelly, D-Ariz., on the national ticket.

Kelly is among a handful of people who have been asked to submit personal information as part of the vice-presidential vetting process, making clear he is under serious consideration as a possible running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris.

"When Senator Kelly first announced his candidacy in 2019, he prioritized our community: no one cared to build a coalition across Arizona like Mark Kelly did. He called me early on, and he made an effort to understand Latinos and new stakeholders in our state," Terán, a former Arizona Democratic Party chair and community organizer, wrote in a statement.

"There is no doubt: Mark will help Vice President Harris defeat Donald Trump and JD Vance in November."

Terán is running to replace Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., in the House of Representatives. Gallego, who is running for the Senate, also is backing Kelly for the ticket.

'Committed to fight for the people': Bernie Sanders backs Raquel Terán for Congress

“As someone that wants to make sure that we have a good shot to win, this is the best ticket,” Gallego told CNN. “He’s a border-state senator, understands border issues, is an astronaut, married to Gabby Giffords, it’s all kind of a good combination.”

USA Today reported Tuesday that Kelly is part of a shortlist that includes North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

All those people have been widely believed to be in the running for the position since Harris became the favorite to head a revamped Democratic ticket.

'This is not about me': What Sen. Mark Kelly is saying about VP speculation

Kelly quickly endorsed Harris to top the new Democratic slate for president but has not directly commented on his possible inclusion on the ticket. He sidestepped multiple questions from reporters on the topic on Tuesday, saying, "Kamala Harris is going to be the nominee, and I'm going to work really hard to make sure that we don't see Donald Trump back in the White House."

Aides to Kelly did not immediately return a request for comment.

USA Today's Riley Beggin and The Arizona Republic's Ronald J. Hansen contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Raquel Teran, running for Congress, is backing Sen. Mark Kelly for VP