PHOENIX – After an “interesting” review as the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Sen. Mark Kelly said he remains firmly behind his party’s new slate, is committed to his job in the Senate and despises former President Donald Trump.

Speaking to The Arizona Republic, a USA TODAY Network partner, from his Phoenix office on Tuesday, Kelly (D-Arizona) pledged his support to Democrats in Arizona and across the country as he continues to address global flashpoints that could impact U.S. interests.

A week after learning he would not be Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’s vice presidential nominee, Kelly had little to say about the selection process he was drawn into or what it was like to be among the finalists for the campaign role – or any other job that involves working with Harris.

“I was honored and flattered to be considered,” Kelly said of the experience. “The last month has been interesting and busy, but it’s great to be back.”

When asked if he would consider joining a Harris administration – should one come into being – Kelly said, “It’s not something I’ve thought about.”

“My focus will be on doing my job as a U.S. Senator to the best of my ability and belief. That is what I am concentrating on today, tomorrow and after the election,” he said.

While Kelly will not run for president, he expects to remain active in campaigning for Harris and in Senate races across the country.

“I think you’re going to see more people turning to her. I expect she’s going to win Arizona. She’s going to win some other states that we thought just a few months ago weren’t going to be competitive. I think she’s going to beat Donald Trump by a wide margin.”

Kelly said he would try to help Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) win the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Irish Ariz.). Kelly has been an outspoken critic of Gallego’s Republican opponent, Kari Lake, deriding her as a voter refusenik and a threat to democracy.

He has already been to six other states that have Senate races and hopes to do so again before the election. On Tuesday, Kelly announced that he is supporting Democrats in 19 Senate races in Arizona as part of his effort to give Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs a legislature “she can work with.”

His stance toward Trump and America’s military interests was characteristically blunt, especially in contrast to Harris and President Joe Biden.

Trump is “a guy who congratulated (Russian President Vladimir) Putin about a week or two ago,” Kelly said, referring to the multinational prisoner trafficking that included two Americans and a woman with dual U.S.-Russian citizenship who were held in Russian prisons on charges the U.S. considered trumped-up.

“I want to congratulate Vladimir Putin on another great deal. Did you see what a deal we made?” Trump said on August 3 at a campaign rally in Atlanta after the prisoners were released. “We got our people back, but boy, we’re making some terrible, terrible deals.”

Kelly could not hide his disgust at Trump’s words and linked the imprisonment of the Americans to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“He’s congratulating an autocrat who illegally attacked one of our allies and who is murdering children in Ukraine – intentionally – and committing kidnappings in Ukraine. And Donald Trump is congratulating him. I’ve never seen anything like that from an American president or former president in history.”

Kelly said Harris will not side with authoritarians and must clarify her view of U.S. foreign relations around the world. But she will continue to provide a stark contrast to Trump, Kelly said.

“For some reason he feels this strange, strange connection to people all over the world, to leaders who are not only oppressing their own people but attacking their neighbors,” Kelly said.

While Kelly declined to provide details about the vetting process, others have provided at least some insight into why Harris may have chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz rather than Kelly and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

Even before Harris announced her choice, her campaign team had expressed interest in someone with leadership experience. Kelly’s only experience in politics is his current role as a senator.

In addition, Harris has good relations with unions, and Kelly has been reluctant to express support for a bill that is seen as her top legislative priority.

The left-leaning Nation magazine recently pointed out that one of Harris’ assignments for President Joe Biden was to lead a labor-related task force whose work resulted in rule changes designed to make union organizing easier.

Shapiro, meanwhile, may have signaled concerns about leaving his current post as he seeks clarity about his role as vice president, Politico reported.

Kelly called Walz “a good friend of mine and a really good friend” of Kelly’s wife, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). “I think he’s an excellent choice,” Kelly said.

He was still impressed by the 15,000 people who came to Glendale on Friday to see Harris and Walz.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that politically. So much energy?” he said. “It wasn’t like playing the sport at a higher level. It was like a completely different sport.”

“It makes the former president so angry that he even has to lie about how many people she has on a tarmac in Detroit. It has unsettled him, and it should.”

This article originally appeared in the Arizona Republic: Sen. Mark Kelly praises Kamala Harris and criticizes Donald Trump