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NS

Mark

Kelly

Democrat
AZ
Phoenix, Tuscon, Mesa
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Mark Kelly

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Personal Background

Birthdate

2/21/1964 (56)

Race/Ethnicity

Caucasian/White

Gender Identification

M
Twitter

@CaptMarkKelly

Religion

N/A (His wife is Jewish and he was married by a rabbi. He has made statements that he had not been particularly religious prior, but began praying and reflecting on his faith following an assassination attempt on his wife.)

Family

Married, 2 children

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

B.S. in Marine Engineering and Nautical Science, United States Merchant Marine Academy; M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School

KEY HEALTH LINK

Kelly is a prostate cancer survivor.

Political/Professional Background

LEGISLATIVE EXPERIENCE

Never held elected office

2020 ELECTION CONTEXT

Kelly has been elected to serve the remainder of former Senator John McCain’s term that began in 2016. Former Senator Martha McSally was appointed to this seat shortly after her loss in the 2018 Arizona Senate election, which was won by Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema. Prior to McSally, this seat was filled by former Senator Jon Kyl. Kelly will be up for reelection in 2022, after which a new six-year term for this seat will begin.

INCUMBENT REPLACED

Martha McSally (R) (defeated)

MOST RECENT PROFESSION

Captain, U.S. Navy/NASA

POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY

Kelly is married to former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords. In 2011, Giffords was shot during an assassination attempt during an event with constituents outside of Tuscon, Arizona. In 2013, Kelly and Giffords created Americans for Responsible Solutions, a political action committee dedicated to promoting solutions to gun violence. In February 2019, Kelly announced his candidacy for the 2020 U.S. Senate special election in Arizona.

On The Issues

COVID-19 PANDEMIC

In August 2020, Kelly said that, "We have consistently... been a step behind. And I think it's a crisis of leadership, and we've got to do better. At the same time, we've got to think of a path to get people back to work, but we've got to do it safely and responsibly." He has expressed frustration with the wearing of masks becoming a political, saying that, "It shouldn't be... I think we need better leadership on this issue."

HEALTH COVERAGE

Kelly supports the ACA public option and universal coverage.

MARIJUANA

No Info

MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION

In his position as a gun safety advocate, Kelly repeatedly made statements noting the importance of mental health screening as part of the background check process when purchasing or transferring firearms. Kelly supports "cracking down on bad actors responsible for the opioid epidemic."

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Kelly has stated that in the Senate he will "tak[e] on the pharmaceutical industry to lower the cost of prescription drug costs."

VETERANS HEALTH CARE

Kelly believes that, "There needs to be an increased culture of accountability at the VA: a focus on each individual Veteran, not the paperwork." He has also said that, "Veterans services [should] work for our changing Veteran population. That includes aging and injured Veterans who need prompt, quality health care, and young Veterans who need mental health care."

WOMEN’S HEALTH

Kelly is pro-choice and has affirmed his support for the ruling in Roe v. Wade. In his campaign, he stated that, "Everyone in this country deserves a decent paid family leave policy." He has been endorsed by both NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

OTHER HEALTH CARE ISSUES

Kelly has stated that as Senator, he will oppose efforts to make it harder to access "critical programs like CHIP and WIC."

DID YOU KNOW?

At Kelly’s wedding to then-Rep. Giffords, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich toasted the couple, saying, “To a bride who moves at a velocity that exceeds that of anyone else in Washington, and a groom who moves at a velocity that exceeds 17,000 miles per hour.”