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Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said Wednesday that he remains undecided on a potential run for president in 2028.
“I will make a decision about that, and so far I’m undecided,” he said at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC. “I make all kinds of decisions every day — about a lot of things. Sometimes I go this way; sometimes I go that way,” he joked.
“At some point, I will make a decision,” he said when pressed again on the topic.
Kelly also sidestepped a question on whether his brand of politics could resonate with national Democrats. Kelly, who hails from a key swing state and brags about his bipartisanship, has a more moderate profile than some of his potential competitors.
“I don’t know if I have a brand of politics,” he said, pointing to his biography as a veteran and former NASA pilot. “I’m the son of two cops who went to public schools. Was in the Navy for 25 years. I used to fly airplanes off of aircraft carriers. I was a test pilot. I flew the space shuttle for 15 years. Not your typical politician. So I come from ... a different perspective.” Kelly said he was focused on helping Democrats win the midterm elections later this year.
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Kelly reflected on US space policy in light of this month’s successful Artemis II flight around the moon. He described advances in space as a “critical element” of US national security.
“Space is now the next high ground in any conflict with any kind of near-peer adversary. So I’m talking about Russia and China. If we were in a conflict with the Chinese, especially,” he said, emphasizing that he wasn’t predicting that war would occur.
Kelly also weighed in on the public-private partnerships with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin that are forming the new foundation for space exploration.
“I didn’t think it was going to be successful. It’s been wildly successful. It has transformed the economy in space to our benefit,” he said. “SpaceX delivers payload to space, both cargo and crew, at a fraction of the cost of the space shuttle.”
Kelly added: “This has been a really good transition for us.”