Science group backs Sen. Mark Kelly for vice-presidential nomination
A science-focused group that urged Mark Kelly to run for the U.S. Senate five years ago is now recommending him for the vice-presidential nomination.
The 314 Action Fund, a name intended to evoke the math formula for pi, added its backing to those seeking to elevate Kelly, who is an engineer and former astronaut.
Kelly, D-Ariz., is among those being vetted by Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign as a possible running mate. He is believed to be a top contender, along with perhaps three Democratic governors, but there are other names under consideration as well.
Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is expected to make her pick before Aug. 7 to avoid potential ballot-access problems, most notably in Ohio.
Shaughnessy Naughton, the founder and president of 314 Action, called Kelly “a champion for solving problems and getting things done.” She also referenced his 2020 and 2022 election wins in a statement.
“He knows how to win tough, competitive elections, turning Arizona from Red to Blue by defeating a formidable incumbent the first time and another Peter Thiel acolyte the second time,” Naughton said. “He uses facts, science, and data to make informed public policy decisions. He knows how to work across the aisle to get results for his constituents.”
The organization said it plans to release an ad supporting Kelly’s possible candidacy in battleground markets next week on cable TV, digital screens and text messages.
It said it spent $3 million backing an effort to “draft” Kelly into the 2020 Senate race.
The Arizona Democratic Party also has endorsed Kelly for the vice-presidential slot on the ticket.
At least one vice-presidential possibility is facing formal pushback.
A group identifying itself as “No Genocide Josh” has posted a website by that name to make its case against Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, said two days after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel that it was “not a moment to retreat from who we are, but to be proud of who we are,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. He has resisted calls for a ceasefire to Israel’s war in Gaza, the Inquirer said.
Shapiro has also been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a “failed leader” and on Netanyahu’s watch “the government took the eye off the security risk to Israel.”
That isn’t good enough for the group opposing him as a possible vice president. The group posted a long message thanking President Joe Biden for bowing out of the 2024 race and acknowledging that Harris will be the Democratic nominee.
It said that to win the trust of “working-class, progressive and young voters” Harris must commit to an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas.
The group rips Shapiro, without naming him, as draining enthusiasm from the left.
“A VP nominee who has failed to support the rights of workers and immigrants, diverted public education funding toward for-profit entities, or restricted access to reproductive or gender-affirming care would risk losing the support of millions of working-class voters,” the group wrote.