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Christopher Boan is the lead writer at BetArizona.com after covering sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
Mark Kelly VP Odds: Democratic Vice President Nominee & 2024 Election Odds
As likely Democratic Party presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ campaign grinds onwards towards the party's National Convention in Chicago, it’s worth wondering who the current VP will pick as her potential heir apparent.
Among the names bandied about is first-term Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, who previously served as a NASA astronaut from 2001 to 2011, with multiple Space Shuttle missions and trips to the International Space Station. Prior to that, Kelly served in the Gulf War as a Naval aviator, with the New Jersey native earning his bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and completing a master’s in science at the Naval Postgraduate School.
The 60-year-old Democrat has been married to former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords since 2007, being by the politician’s side after she survived an assassination attempt in 2011 and gaining national name recognition from the way he handled the tragedy.
Kelly has been thrown out as a potential VP pick for Harris’ campaign, thanks in large part to his ability to win a Senate seat in what was once a Republican stronghold, as he became the first junior Democratic Senator from the Grand Canyon State since 1962 when he knocked off Republican incumbent Martha McSally in 2020.
BetArizona.com is keeping tabs on Kelly’s VP odds, utilizing Bet365’s Ontario odds board to illustrate where the junior senator from Arizona stands in the Democratic VP odds race. Although bet365 is one of the licensed Arizona sportsbooks, political betting is not allowed in the Grand Canyon State or any other state.
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Latest Mark Kelly Odds to be Vice President
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro | -350 |
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear | +450 |
Arizona U.S. Sen Mark Kelly | +650 |
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz | +650 |
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg | +1800 |
Hillary Clinton | +3300 |
Odds verified on Aug. 1, 2024 |
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Will Mark Kelly Be Running For Vice President?
Yes, though Kelly has not explicitly said he’s running to be Harris’ vice president pick, he has also not denied speculation about accepting such a role in multiple TV appearances in recent days.
For now, the senator from Arizona told MSNBC that he will spend the weekend at his home in Tucson as Harris launches a multi-state tour of America to drum up support from voters in must-win regions of the country.
“I’m not going to get into any of that,” Kelly said. “I am going to be focused on making sure that Kamala is the next president. … I’m going to be traveling across the country tirelessly. Next week my plan right now is to be in Arizona.”
Breaking Down Mark Kelly’s Approval Rating in 2024
Right now, it looks like Kelly’s chances of being Harris’ VP pick are slim, given reports emerging on Twitter on Thursday that the current VP would announce Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (-350) as her running mate at a campaign stop in Philadelphia this weekend.
In Arizona, Kelly is typically well regarded as a bipartisan politician that’s managed to maneuver the Democrats’ razor-thin margin in the Senate and get things done on the home front, such as securing billions from President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Latest Key Developments For Mark Kelly VP or Presidential Odds
- July 22, 2024: Harris secures pledges from a majority of the party’s delegates, making her the presumptive Democratic nominee; Andy Beshear tells MSNBC’s Morning Joe he’d be interested in the vice presidential spot on the party’s ticket
- July 21, 2024: Biden announces that he will not accept the Democratic Party’s nomination and throws his support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
- June 27, 2024: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump take part in a nationally televised debate. Biden’s performance, namely his inability to complete or make rational thoughts, led to questions about his ability to serve another four years.
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Looking Forward: What Are Kelly’s Odds Of Becoming President in 2028?
If Harris wins the election this fall, she’d be the likely incumbent in 2028, meaning that Kelly would likely have to wait until at least 2032 to take up a legitimate presidential campaign for the first time.
Should Harris falter and lose to Trump in November, Kelly’s odds of being the Democratic Party’s nominee in four years would shorten exponentially, though that will be determined at the ballot box in November.
USA Today photo by Joel Angel Juarez.
Mark Kelly FAQ
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is currently tied with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for third on Bet365’s VP odds board at +650, behind Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (-350) and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (+450). Kelly ranks ahead of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (+2000) and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (+3300).
Yes. He’s a natural-born American citizen, at least 35 years of age and has lived in the United State for at least 14 years.
No. Kelly did not run for office until he defeated Republican Martha McSally in the 2020 U.S. Senate race.
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