Amid his ongoing feud with the Trump administration — particularly Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly says he’s weighing a run for president in 2028.
Asked by BBC Newsnight if he was considering a campaign for the White House, Kelly didn’t rule it out.
“You know, I’ll seriously consider this, because we are in some seriously challenging times right now,” Kelly told the British news program.
The former Navy pilot has been making headlines since November, when he and five other Democratic lawmakers issued a video statement urging U.S. troops to resist unlawful orders from the Trump administration.
President Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH,” and Hegseth later censured Kelly specifically — kickstarting a military process that could result in a demotion from Kelly’s retired rank of captain, and with it, a subsequent reduction in retirement pay.
A federal judge last week blocked the Pentagon from following through on that punishment, ruling that officials had violated Kelly’s First Amendment free speech rights and “threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees.”
Kelly, a former astronaut, has often spoken of his unlikely ascent to public office. It was his wife, former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was the elected official in the family until she was shot and critically injured in 2011.
“I never thought I’d find myself here, so I will obviously think about this,” Kelly told the BBC. “It’s a serious decision, I just haven’t made it yet.”
Kelly’s seatmate, Sen. Ruben Gallego, has also been asked if he’s considering running for president in three years. Last fall, Gallego said he’s leaning against it.
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