Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly won’t be on the ballot as a vice presidential nominee.
Vice President Harris instead announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former high school geography teacher and National Guard veteran, as her running mate.
In a statement to supporters, Kelly wrote that he “never expected to find myself in this position” – being vetted by the Harris campaign as a possible VP pick.
“But this isn't about me,” Kelly wrote. “It never has been.”
Kelly vowed that he and his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, will do “everything we can” to make sure Harris and Walz are elected in November.
“That’s the choice our country faces right now: move forward with Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz, or be dragged backward by Donald Trump and JD Vance,” Kelly wrote.
He also urged his supporters to donate to help elect Harris and Walz, who Kelly praised as both governor of Minnesota and a former congressman from the state.
Gov. Katie Hobbs also praised Walz, who she’s worked with through the Democratic Governors Association, which Walz chairs.
“You should’ve been in my house and heard my scream when I saw the news this morning,” Hobbs told reporters Tuesday morning. “I am absolutely thrilled that Vice President Harris has chosen him to be her running mate."
Hobbs added that Kelly also would have been a great choice, but said she’s sure Walz will pick up support in states like Arizona beyond the Midwest.
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