Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is emerging as a prominent contender to join Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic presidential lineup this November.

President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the reelection campaign and endorse Kamala has sparked immediate speculation about who might join her as a running mate should she win the nomination.

Here is what to know about the Arizona senator.

Kelly was born on February 21, 1964. He is 60 years old.

A former astronaut and Navy captain, Kelly has served as the junior U.S. senator from Arizona since 2020.

He was elected in a special election after Sen. John McCain’s death, defeating incumbent Republican Martha McSally, and becoming the first Democrat to win this seat since 1962. 

He is a member of the Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Environment and Public Works, and the Joint Economic Committee.

Kelly graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with a bachelor’s of science in marine engineering and nautical science.

In 1987, Kelly became a naval aviator and was assigned to Attack Squadron 115 in Japan. 

He also flew combat missions during the Gulf War and made two deployments to the Persian Gulf.

In 1994, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School with a master’s of science in aeronautical engineering.

In 1996, Kelly was selected as a NASA space shuttle pilot. He flew his first space mission in 2001.

He later piloted one other mission in 2006 and commanded two others in 2008 and 2011.

Kelly has been awarded multiple military honors, including two Defense Superior Service Medals, one Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals with Combat “V,” and various other commendations and service awards. 

He also received a NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his contributions.

In 2011, Kelly retired from both the U.S. Navy and NASA.

Kelly is a co-founder and strategic adviser at World View Enterprises, a Tucson-based company specializing in high-altitude balloon near-space exploration.

After 2013, he served as the director of flight crew operations and contributed to the development and management of a new spacecraft.

Kelly stopped working with World View Enterprises in 2019, prior to his first Senate campaign.

Kelly was born and raised in Orange, New Jersey. His parents, Richard and Patricia, were retired police officers. 

In 1989, he married his first wife, Amelia Babis, but they divorced in 2004. They have two daughters, Claudia and Claire Kelly.

In 2007, Kelly married then-Democratic Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords. 

In 2011, Giffords was shot and nearly killed in an assassination attempt. 

After this incident, they founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, now called Giffords, a nonprofit organization to advocate gun control measures such as universal background checks.

They said they support Second Amendment rights, while also promoting responsible gun ownership.

They argue that “current gun laws allow private sellers to sell guns without a background check, creating a loophole that provides criminals and the mentally ill easy access to guns.”

Kelly has previously said that his wife’s assassination attempt deepened his faith as a Catholic.

Kelly’s net worth ranges from $8,168,013 to $34,445,000.

Kelly has written a small collection of children’s books. His first book, Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story (2012) was a New York Times bestseller. 

It was followed by Mousetronaut Goes to Mars (2013) and Mousetronaut Saves the World (2024).

In 2015, Kelly and Martha Freeman wrote Astrotwins: Project Blastoff, followed by its sequel Astrotwins: Project Rescue in 2016.

In addition, he and his wife co-authored Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience (2011), which recounted the assassination attempt against Giffords and her initial recovery.

In 2014, they also wrote Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence.

Kelly is considered a more centrist Democrat who could expand Harris’s voter base in his swing state of Arizona. 

He has previously criticized President Joe Biden’s approach to border security and has pushed for stronger measures, which could appeal to voters who don’t think the Democratic Party cares enough about the border crisis.

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In the Senate, he has also focused on local issues such as water conservation and semiconductor manufacturing.

As an abortion-rights advocate, Kelly supports codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law. He was endorsed by Planned Parenthood.