Mark Kelly may be Kamala Harris' VP pick: What that would mean for Americans

Americans worried about inflation may find a friend in Sen. Mark Kelly if he’s chosen as presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate, but that wouldn't be surprising since most of his short political career has been during a time of rising prices, experts say.

Kelly, elected in 2020 and on presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Harris’ short list for vice president, is the junior senator from Arizona. He’s known for his service as a Navy pilot, an astronaut with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords. Giffords stepped down a year after suffering a severe brain injury.

In Kelly’s career, he’s shown sensitivity to people suffering from high inflation. He supported the administration’s steps to lower gas prices and a bill allowing the government to negotiate drug prices, for example.

“I don’t think he creates, based on policy, a massive variation to Kamala Harris,” said Ronnie Thompson, investment adviser representative and owner of True North Advisors in Northville, Michigan.

Here are some of Kelly’s views and past actions.

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What has Kelly said and done about energy prices?

2022: Supported the Biden administration's ban on Russian oil, gas, and coal imports after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Kelly pushed to suspend the federal gas tax and supported President Joe Biden’s releasing oil from the country’s strategic reserves to provide some relief to Americans paying record gas prices. He also urged Biden to investigate any potential cases of price gouging and market manipulation in gas prices (and separately, meat packing.)

Kelly advocated with Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) for more domestic oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, in tandem with growing renewable energy to help lower consumer prices. This was out of step with the Biden administration's desire to move away from drilling.

What has Kelly said or done to help seniors?

2022: Kelly supported legislation allowing the government to negotiate certain prescription drug prices to help older Americans. It was incorporated into the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which Biden signed into law.

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What other polices has Kelly advocated?

2021: Kelly voted for Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which became law with bipartisan support.

He also introduced the Border Response Resilience Act to provide funds to go towards a plan to help keep border communities and migrant processing safe. The bill never passed.

2022: Kelly co-sponsored the United States Innovation and Competition Act, which contained $52 billion for microchip manufacturing. The bill passed and Kelly said it would create jobs.

2023: He Introduced the Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act, which aimed to regulate the most lethal firearm used by mass shooters while safeguarding gun ownership for “legitimate self-defense, hunting, and sporting purposes,” Kelly said in a release.

Will Kelly appeal to voters?

Kelly might appeal to moderates, said Brian Marks, executive director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.

Given Kelly’s from Arizona, his polices are more moderate than the progressive wing of the Democratic party, Marks said.

Arizona's considered a purple state that doesn’t reliably vote Democratic (blue) or Republican (red). It is a swing state that can vote either way.

“Although Kelly is a more moderate Democrat, you also have to win over people elsewhere in country,” Marks said.

Kelly brings military and space exploration expertise, but Marks said he’s “not necessarily one, given his personality, who will be highly animated. He’ll be forceful and strong in his statements, and he is very thoughtful and a policy-oriented man but energizing the electorate, they’ll have to rely on Harris.”

Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.