Former Rep. Gabby Giffords’ husband Mark Kelly is weighing a bid for Arizona’s 2020 Senate race.
Kelly, a retired astronaut and former Navy combat pilot, has already received support from 314 Action, a nonprofit political action committee that backs candidacies of scientists and those with STEM backgrounds. The organization has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into a social media campaign to elevate Kelly’s profile as they seek to recruit him for the race, and it has launched a petition at DraftMarkKelly.org to encourage him to run.
During the 2018 midterm elections, all nine federal candidates supported by the political action committee won their respective races.
Although Kelly himself has not commented on a potential 2020 bid as a Democrat, a spokesperson for him said it was on Kelly’s radar.
“Arizonans live with the impact of climate change every day,” Rodd McLeod said, per the Arizona Republic. “It’s encouraging to see folks in the science and tech communities spurring us to deal with these serious problems. Mark is considering running for U.S. Senate in order to address climate change, wage growth and many other serious issues.”
Giffords and Kelly together founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, a nonprofit organization that supports gun control, after Giffords survived getting shot in the head in 2011 at a meet-and-greet event.
The Senate seat is currently held by Republican Martha McSally, who was appointed by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to replace former Republican Sen. Jon Kyl. Kyl filled the seat after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., passed away in August, but he stepped down last month.
The special election in 2020 will determine who will serve until 2022 — the final two years of McCain’s term. Another election for the seat will be held in 2022.
