Senator Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) on Sunday deleted a post on social media platform X in which he declared that his mission was now to “serve the citizens of Arizona,” fueling further speculation about Vice President Harris’ search for a running mate.
Kelly, who is on the shortlist for Harris’s vice presidential running mate, made a statement on X on Sunday suggesting that he was ultimately not selected for Harris’s candidacy.
“My background is a little different than most politicians. I have served my entire life in the Navy and NASA, where the mission always comes first. Now my mission is to serve the citizens of Arizona,” Kelly originally wrote.
Less than an hour later, Kelly deleted the post and replaced it with one that read: “Whether it was from my time in the Navy and NASA, my service in the U.S. Senate, or my visits to our troops overseas, I’ve learned that when your country calls you to serve, you always answer the call.”
The second post received hundreds of responses, many of which attempted to question the Arizona Democrat about his status in Harris’s “vice-presidential election.”
“Holy crap!! It’s you! Are you telling us you’re the Vice Presidential nominee Mark Kelly?” wrote one user, while another went so far as to say, “It looks like Mark Kelly is the Vice Presidential nominee.”
Kelly’s spokesman Jacob Peters dismissed the speculation and advised users not to read too much into the senator’s statements.
“It’s nothing new for a Senator from Arizona to tweet that he’s a Senator from Arizona! People, think about your Sunday!” Peters wrote on Sunday on X.
Kelly is one of a handful of rising stars in the Democratic Party who have been discussed as Harris’s running mate since President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her as his successor.
Harris, who was officially named the Democratic presumptive presidential nominee last week, has rushed to select a running mate on a tight timeline. She spent the weekend interviewing a handful of potential vice presidential candidates at her residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington.
Other names on the shortlist include Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, both of whom were interviewed along with Kelly on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Harris is expected to announce her vice presidential candidate by Tuesday and then embark on a four-day campaign tour through seven states with her favorite.
The Hill has reached out to Harris’ campaign for further comment.
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