The former astronaut will run as a Democrat in a 2020 election for the Senate seat held by the late John McCain. Kelly is the husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was wounded in a 2011 mass shooting.
Retired astronaut Mark Kelly announced on Tuesday he is running to finish John McCain's last term in the US Senate.
Kelly is the top Democratic candidate to take on Martha McSally, a former Republican congresswoman who replaced McCain following his death in August. The special election is set to take place in November 2020 and the winner will complete the final two years of McCain's six-year term.
Kelly's wife, Gabrielle Giffords, survived a shooting in 2011 and now leads a group called "Courage to Fight Gun Violence."Image: picture-alliance/Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS/D. Maialetti
The former astronaut and US Navy combat pilot is the husband of Gabrielle Giffords, a former Arizona Congresswoman who was forced to resign in 2012 after she suffered severe wounds from a mass shooting in 2011. Kelly and Giffords have since pushed Congress to enact gun control measures with little success.
Kelly posted a video to Twitter on Tuesday while announcing his candidacy in which Giffords featured heavily.
"We've seen this retreat from science and data and facts," Kelly says towards the end after announcing his intention to run. "And if we don't take these issues seriously, we can't solve these problems."
Martha McSally, a former US Air Force combat pilot who has embraced US President Donald Trump, lost an election campaign for Arizona's other Senate seat to Democrat Krysten Sinema last November. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey then appointed McSally to McCain's seat last month after his first appointee, former Senator Jon Kyl, resigned after only a few months in office.
John McCain: The life of a 'Maverick'
US Senator John McCain dedicated six decades of his life to public service, first in the military and then in politics.
Image: Reuters/Library of Congress/Thomas J. O'Halloran
Prisoner of war in Vietnam
John McCain followed in the footsteps of his Navy family and served in the Vietnam War. He was captured and endured 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war. He was severely tortured and held in solitary confinement. McCain returned home in 1973 and as a result of his injuries in captivity, would never be able to move his arms above his shoulders.
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Three decades in Congress
McCain was first elected as a Republican to the House of Representatives in 1983, serving the state of Arizona. He won a Senate bid in 1987, a seat he held until his death. McCain looked up to former President Ronald Reagan, and in his long career, he led Congress on issues of foreign policy and military affairs. Owing to his own experiences, he was outspoken in his support for US Veterans.
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Barack Obama's presidential challenger
McCain became the Republican nominee for president in 2008, running as the "maverick" he was known for. But after eight years of Bush, he could not overcome Barack Obama's campaign based on change. Obama said that despite their differences, they both "saw this country as a place where anything is possible – and citizenship as our patriotic obligation to ensure it forever remains that way."
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Reaching across the aisle
McCain was known for his willingness to work with members of the opposite party, particularly on the issue of immigration reform. In 2005, he cosponsored a bill with the late Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy that was the benchmark for future legislation. McCain pushed for a compromise that included securing US borders and providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Zaklin
McCain in the age of Trump
McCain's last year in office was marked by his confrontation with President Donald Trump. One his last votes in the Senate was his thumbs down to save Obamacare, a stark rejection of Trump's efforts to gut the legislation. He was critical of Trump until the end, slamming his meeting with Putin in July as "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in recent memory."
