Kelly says Democrats can win his Senate seat if he becomes vice president

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said he’s confident Democrats can keep his Senate seat in a special election if he is elected vice president, as speculation rises over who Vice President Harris will choose as her running mate.

Kelly told CNN’s Manu Raju on Tuesday that Democrats have “figured out” tough races like Arizona’s.

“Democrats have been really good about winning statewide races in the state of Arizona. We figured this out,” he said. “We have a strong state party, and I imagine we’re going to be successful from now going into the future.”

“I don’t think it’ll be an issue,” he continued. “I think we’ve got a great slate of other Democrats, but this is not about me.”

Kelly is said to be near the top of the shortlist among Harris’s vice presidential candidates. Harris’s campaign said she will name her running mate before next Tuesday.

If Kelly were to be the pick and go on to win the election, his vacated Senate seat would be filled by an interim selected by Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) before a special election in 2026. His term is slated to expire after the 2028 election.

That situation would mean a Senate election in Arizona every two years for six straight election cycles. Sen. John McCain (R) won his final election in 2016, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I) first won her election — as a Democrat — in 2018, followed by a special election victory by Kelly in 2020 after McCain’s death. Kelly also won a full term win in 2022, and this year there is a race to replace the retiring Sinema.

Democrats have won each of the three races since McCain’s 2018 death, with Sinema being elected as a Democrat. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is the party’s nominee for this year’s Senate race, where he currently leads in polls against GOP nominee Kari Lake. 

Kelly is viewed as a strong vice presidential candidate by political analysts due to his reputation as a principled Democrat who can work across the aisle and his professional background as an astronaut. His wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), is also one of the nation’s leading gun control advocates after being injured during an assassination attempt while in office.

The senator also remains personally popular in Arizona and consistently performed better than President Biden in his two previous elections. Progressives have raised some concerns, however, about his record on labor rights.

Harris leads former President Trump by 2 points in Arizona, according to a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll published Tuesday, a significant improvement over previous figures with Biden.