Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly added confusion to the Democratic Party’s veepstakes Sunday when he put up – and then quickly deleted — a social post where he said his focus was now on “serving Arizonans.”
The VP-hopeful raised eyebrows when he issued the statement on X that nearly suggested he may be out of contention to serve as the running mate to presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris before the post disappeared.
“My background is a bit different than most politicians,” the now-scrubbed post read. “I spent my life serving in the Navy and at NASA, where the mission always comes first.
“Now my mission is serving Arizonans.”
Kelly then posted another tweet that was more general and left less room for speculation about his future.
“Whether it was from my time in the Navy and at NASA, serving in the United States Senate, or visiting our troops overseas: I’ve learned that when your country asks you to serve, you always answer the call,” he tweeted alongside a photo of him speaking with military personnel.
Kelly is among several candidates looking to run on the Democratic ticket with current Vice President Harris against former President Donald Trump and his running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
He was scheduled to be interviewed by Harris at her Washington DC home Sunday, Reuters reported.
Other Democrats speculated as potential Harris running mates include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Harris is expected to reveal her pick for vice president as early as Monday, according to Reuters.