Arizona Senator Mark Kelly's name thrown around as Biden's possible replacement
PHOENIX - Pressure is mounting for President Joe Biden to shut down his re-election campaign, and an Arizona Senator's name is being thrown around as a possible replacement.
The name is Mark Kelly. He's a Democratic Arizona Senator and NASA astronaut.
His name is popping up along with Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, as possible replacements.
‘He doesn’t have the experience to be president’
A hot dog stand that serves coffee and donuts turned into a campaign stop for Senate candidate and Democrat Ruben Gallego on July 18. He's running to replace Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema who left the Democratic Party.
But, there wasn't much of an appetite for a Mark Kelly presidential campaign.
"Mark Kelly is a fabulous candidate, but I am for Joe Biden all the way."
"No way. No way. I don’t think so, because he doesn’t have the experience to be president."
Kelly’s name first popped up in Politico after polling from BlueLabs Analytics showed him as a strong potential candidate.
Reports: Biden may be closer to reconsidering race as Obama, Pelosi make moves
After a few days of focus on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, some Democrats are pivoting back, amping up their calls for President Biden to bow out of the race for the White House.
His resume is out of this world.
He comes from a working-class family, he became a NASA astronaut alongside his twin brother, and is the husband of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
Political expert Mike O'Neil says Kelly could grab some Republican support.
"I think his attributes, he might be the anti-charisma candidate and that might very well work for him," he said.
His authenticity might play well against former President Donald Trump’s showmanship.
READ MORE ON THE 2024 ELECTION
- Reports: Biden may be closer to reconsidering race as Obama, Pelosi make moves
- What happens if Biden steps out of the race?
- Rep. Adam Schiff calls on Biden to drop out of presidential race
At the campaign stop on July 18, Congressmen Gallego said, "All these hypotheticals, and you know, I love running with Mark in Arizona. He's a great servant and Gabby’s amazing. You just have to talk to Mark."
Mark Kelly’s office released a statement on July 18 saying, "As Senator Kelly has said repeatedly, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are our nominees and he’s going to keep working hard to make sure they win in November and keep Donald Trump out of the White House."