Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) on Sunday deleted an X post in which he said his mission is now “to serve Arizonans” and fueled further speculation about the search for Vice President Harris’ running mate.
Kelly, who is on the shortlist to be chosen as Harris’ vice president, issued a statement Sunday on X in which he suggested that he was ultimately not selected for Harris’ ticket.
“My background is a little different than most politicians. I spent my life serving in the Navy and NASA, where the mission always comes first. Now, my mission is to serve Arizonans,” Kelly originally wrote.
Less than an hour later, Kelly removed the post and replace it with a post that reads: “Whether it was during my time in the Navy and NASA, serving in the United States Senate, or visiting our troops overseas: I learned that when your country asks you to serve, you always answer the call.”
The second post had hundreds of responses, many of which attempted to pressure the Arizona Democrat about his stance on the Harris “veepstakes.”
“Holy shit!! It’s you! Are you telling us you’ve been selected for vice president, Mark Kelly?” one user wrote, while another went so far as to say, “Looks like Mark Kelly is the chosen vice president.”
Kelly spokesman Jacob Peters dismissed the speculation and suggested that users not read too much into the senator’s statements.
“An Arizona senator tweeting about being an Arizona senator is nothing new! Come back to Sundays, folks!” Peters wrote on X Sunday.
Kelly is among a handful of rising stars in the Democratic Party who have been considered Harris’ running mate since President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her to run as his successor.
Harris, who officially became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee last week, rushed to pick a running mate on a condensed timeline. She spent the weekend interviewing several potential vice presidents at her residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington.
Other names on the list include Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who were interviewed, along with Kelly, on Sunday. Reuters reported.
Harris is expected to announce her running mate by Tuesday before embarking on a four-day, seven-state campaign alongside her pick.
The Hill has reached out to Harris’ campaign for further comment.
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