With the Democratic presidential nomination all but delivered for Kamala Harris, speculation has turned to who would best complement her as the vice-presidential nominee. There are certainly several interesting possibilities but there is one who, like Harris herself, draws stark and strategic contrasts with the Trump-Vance ticket: Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.
Kelly, the son of two police officers, offers considerable star quality as a former astronaut who rode the Space Shuttle into orbit on four occasions. As a Navy pilot who flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm (for which he received two Distinguished Flying Crosses and a fistful of additional honors), he would add valuable military credentials to the ticket.
JD Vance, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, plays up his Marine service, but it is worth noting he was a correspondent. Vance is the guy who shows up with a laptop to write a story about the combat achievements of pilots like Kelly.
Vance rose from an impoverished youth, went to Yale Law School, became a venture capitalist and wrote a book about his Appalachian roots; now, like Donald Trump, he professes empathy for the working class but embraces tax policies that enrich hedge fund managers at the expense of the working and middle class, while creating massive new debt.
Kelly went to the Merchant Marine Academy and has written books about the inspiring struggles of his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, after a devastating assassination attempt, and about the need for responsible gun policies. Kelly’s leadership for gun reforms supported by over 70% of Americans is likely to generate broad enthusiasm, especially among younger voters.
Kelly has built strong support in a purple state by working across the aisle, like his predecessor, John McCain. Kelly reveres McCain, whom Donald Trump demeaned for having been shot down over Vietnam, captured, imprisoned for 5½ years and undergone years of torture rather than leave his fellow POWs behind. “I like people who weren’t captured,” Trump callously remarked.
A veteran, Kelly also draws a sharp contrast to Trump, who has coldheartedly denigrated those who died in defense of the country. “Why should I go to that cemetery?” Trump reportedly said when refusing to visit the graves of World War I casualties. “It’s filled with losers.”