Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who is at the top of the list to be Vice President Harris’ running mate, is uncomfortable in the attack dog role and has avoided politics for most of his time in office. Senate.
Kelly’s clean-cut reputation and focus on politics raise questions about whether he can play the traditional attack dog role of running mate.
“Ideally, the vice presidential candidate would be someone who is comfortable being an attack dog on the other ticket, but doing so in a way that is not off-putting to winnable voters,” said John LaBombard, a Democratic strategist.
“My guess is that Senator Kelly would have some growth in that part of the role, at least compared to Governor Walz,” he added, referring to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), who would also be considered a candidate for vice president.
The junior senator from Arizona has tried to take on a bit more of a partisan brawler role in recent days, attacking Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), former President Trump’s running mate, for claiming that the country is run by “senseless hotties.” children. ”
Kelly drew a crowd outside the Capitol on a recent afternoon, where he bizarrely took some partisan jabs at Vance, who is stoking anger among Democratic voters with his past comments on a range of topics.
“I think that’s a ridiculous thing to say about someone,” he said of Vance’s characterization of Harris as a “childless cat lady.” “It’s unpleasant and rude and also not surprising.
“What really concerns me is what he would do if he were one step away from the presidency,” Kelly added, moving on to the Democrats’ top issue: abortion.
“Here’s a guy who when he talks about women who have been raped or pregnant because of incest [says] that ‘two wrongs don’t make a right’. What is wrong with a woman who has been raped wanting to terminate her pregnancy?” he said. “I really worry about their rights if Donald Trump is elected again.”
Kelly declined to comment on what discussions he might be having with Harris or her political team and insists he will not audition for the top spot on the Democratic ticket.
“This whole thing is not about me. This guarantees that Kamala will defeat Donald Trump in November. That’s my goal, I’m going to work as hard as I can no matter what happens,” he told The Hill.
Kelly, a former naval aviator and astronaut, has stayed away from political food fights since winning the 2020 Senate election.
During his early years in Washington, he often dodged political issues by saying he didn’t think about the politics of his own 2022 re-election run and was primarily focused on passing bipartisan bills such as the Chips and Science Act, which spurred investment in your home state.
Steve Jardining, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, acknowledged that Kelly may not be the perfect choice for the vice president’s traditional attack dog role, but still praised him as a strong candidate.
“I like him a lot. I think he’s the best choice she could have. One of the reasons I like him is he’s not the attack dog,” he said, praising Kelly’s image as a former astronaut as rational. , cool under pressure and focused on the mission.
“I understand traditionally the role, the pick of the vice president does the dirty work,” he said.
But he warned this could backfire on “middle-of-the-road” voters, who might then dismiss him as “the pit bull”.
“There’s something about not having an attack dog this time that I think is a good thing,” he said, citing voter fatigue with polarization and excessive partisanship.
Kelly has made more frequent forays into cable television since April as the presidential election cycle heated up.
He is scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday. And he spoke to defend President Biden from mounting pressure from other Democratic senators who wanted him to drop his re-election bid after a disastrous debate performance.
He urged Democrats in mid-July to unite behind Biden and Harris, warning “we have to make sure we work as hard as we can, we don’t make mistakes,” and insisting that Biden still had a path to victory.
He answered tough questions about anti-war protests on American college campuses during a May appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and spoke about the “mistakes” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made in waging a all-out attack on Gaza.
LaBombard, the Democratic strategist, said Kelly would bring other strengths to the ticket, even if he is not a natural attack dog.
“He is a polished, elected leader from a swing state with an inspiring background, ranging from military service to time as an astronaut, and has supported many of the bipartisan packages that Vice President Harris is sure to promote on the campaign trail. ” he said.
LaBombard said Kelly’s support of Biden’s agenda in the Senate would be a strong selling point for the Harris team, but acknowledged they may be looking for a governor from outside the Beltway, like Walz or Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, to balance the plate.
He said Walz or Shapiro could give Democrats a better chance of winning the critical Midwestern states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
“These two guys… both governors are from outside of Washington. This is a huge advantage because people in both parties, especially independents in swing states, don’t root for Washington. He hasn’t been here long, but Sen. Kelly would certainly be a pick inside the Beltway,” he said.
Another concern for Democrats is what would happen to Kelly’s Senate seat if Harris chose him to be her running mate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) recruited Kelly in 2019 as the ideal candidate to win the seat long held by the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Kelly defeated former Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), who was appointed to McCain’s seat, in a 2020 special election.
While Arizona has become more Democratic in recent years, Kelly’s seat would become more vulnerable to a GOP surge if he left the Senate to serve in the Harris administration.
Schumer, the architect of the Democratic Senate majority, declined Tuesday to comment on whether Kelly would be a strong choice to join Harris at the top of the ticket.
He also declined to say whether he is concerned about keeping Kelly’s seat in Democratic hands if he moves into the executive branch.
“I have every confidence that Vice President Harris will choose a great vice presidential candidate,” he said, holding the cards close to his chest. “I have complete faith in Vice President Harris’ selection.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
