Mark Kelly 2020 - announces run for Senate seat in AZ (1 Viewer)

[skol asylum]

@ShuttleCDRKelly: My next mission... #FullSpeedAhead #ForArizona https://twitter.com/ShuttleCDRKelly/status/1095301632093433864/video/1

Great choice. Bye Martha McTrumpy.

 

[Dedfin]

Legit hero. Make it happen AZ!

 

[Jackstraw]

I'll be donating to his campaign and whoever runs against Susan Collins. 

 

[Don't Noonan]

no chance

 

[joffer]

cool

 

[sho nuff]

Smart guy with some really good credentials...though Rodgers whipped him on Jeopardy.

 

[sho nuff]

no chance

Care to expand why?

 

[zftcg]

no chance

Yeah no way Martha McSally could ever lose a Senate race in Arizona. 

 

[joffer]

just glad to see more candidates from STEM fields.

 

[AAABatteries]

I know nothing about him but if Noonan is against him that’s about all the endorsement I need.  Sign me up!

 

[zftcg]

That's a great video, and I hope Kelly proves himself a strong candidate, but let's not crown him just yet. Ask Randy Bryce whether a viral launch video guarantees success.

 

[JuniorNB]

Care to expand why?

That's about as expansive as he gets.

 

[Slapdash]

Care to expand why?

Please don't feed the trolls

 

[Plorfu]

That's a great video, and I hope Kelly proves himself a strong candidate, but let's not crown him just yet. Ask Randy Bryce whether a viral launch video guarantees success.

Fair point, but here in AZ (especially among Dems) Mark Kelly isn't a guy coming out of nowhere with a viral video. He's a well-liked, known quantity and everyone already knew he was going to run. Ruben Gallego will probably challenge from the left. I'm not sure of anyone else who would bother.

 

[Don't Noonan]

I know nothing about him but if Noonan is against him that’s about all the endorsement I need.  Sign me up!

Never said I was against him I just said no chance

 

[sho nuff]

Never said I was against him I just said no chance

Can you please expand on why you feel he has no chance rather than a hit and run.

 

[Don't Noonan]

Can you please expand on why you feel he has no chance rather than a hit and run.

I read he validated our gun laws work by attempting to purchase a firearm illegally in AZ just a year after his wife was shot.  It looks to me that he is just looking to ride his wife's coattails.  

Trump carried AZ in 2016 and he will again in 2020 which will bring more voters in for McSally.

 

[skol asylum]

If Sinema can beat McSally, Kelly can. Remember, Kirsten is the first openly bi Senator from conservative AZ.

 

[zftcg]

Fair point, but here in AZ (especially among Dems) Mark Kelly isn't a guy coming out of nowhere with a viral video. He's a well-liked, known quantity and everyone already knew he was going to run. Ruben Gallego will probably challenge from the left. I'm not sure of anyone else who would bother.

Oh for sure. And to be clear, the reason the video is great is because his story is great. Think about how many people launch their political careers based on being a veteran, or an astronaut, or having experienced some kind of family tragedy that gave their life purpose. Kelly checks all three boxes.

Still, his success will ultimately depend on whether he's a good candidate, which we don't really know right now.

Hadn't realized that about Gallego. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[the moops]

Trump carried AZ in 2016 and he will again in 2020 which will bring more voters in for McSally.

Such an odd take considering she just lost her Senate race to a democrat and Trump only has a 44% approval rate in AZ

 

[zftcg]

Such an odd take considering she just lost her Senate race to a democrat and Trump only has a 44% approval rate in AZ

I certainly wouldn't count out McSally. She lost an extremely close race in a tough year for the GOP and next time around will have a two-year head start as the incumbent. My guess is this will once again be one of the closer races in the country. I also suspect it will track the presidential results.

 

[the moops]

I certainly wouldn't count out McSally. She lost an extremely close race in a tough year for the GOP and next time around will have a two-year head start as the incumbent. My guess is this will once again be one of the closer races in the country. I also suspect it will track the presidential results.

Oh I agree. There is only one person in here who thinks this race is already decided. 

 

[Zow]

I read he validated our gun laws work by attempting to purchase a firearm illegally in AZ just a year after his wife was shot.  It looks to me that he is just looking to ride his wife's coattails.  

Trump carried AZ in 2016 and he will again in 2020 which will bring more voters in for McSally.

I’m in Arizona. Two things:

1.  Can you link to documentation that he attempted to violate our gun laws via an illegal purchase? I ask because due to our very lax guns laws illegally purchasing a firearm is near impossible. 

2. I don’t necessarily disagree with your second point but McSally really ran an awful campaign in 2018 by engaging Ward in some awful mud slinging, hitched her wagon to Trump when it was clear she was doing so just for political advantage, and she really lost a lot of credibility in a race I thought she could have won easily as a veteran with no real skeletons in her closet. I don’t know if she recovers. I’d also note that inexplicably Kelli Ward was chosen to least the AZ state GOP. 

 

[sho nuff]

I read he validated our gun laws work by attempting to purchase a firearm illegally in AZ just a year after his wife was shot.  It looks to me that he is just looking to ride his wife's coattails.  

Trump carried AZ in 2016 and he will again in 2020 which will bring more voters in for McSally.

He is a Navy Veteran, an engineer and an astronaut...I don't think he needs any coattails.

Trump carried AZ by less than 100,000 votes...to a really bad Hillary.

McSally has always had close races (150ish vote margin in 2014)...and lost her last.  I think Kelly has a chance so claiming no chance seems a bit odd to me.

 

[sho nuff]

I certainly wouldn't count out McSally. She lost an extremely close race in a tough year for the GOP and next time around will have a two-year head start as the incumbent. My guess is this will once again be one of the closer races in the country. I also suspect it will track the presidential results.

I don't think anyone is counting her out...just wondering about "no chance" for a guy with Kelly's credentials.

 

[sho nuff]

I’m in Arizona. Two things:

1.  Can you link to documentation that he attempted to violate our gun laws via an illegal purchase? I ask because due to our very lax guns laws illegally purchasing a firearm is near impossible. 

2. I don’t necessarily disagree with your second point but McSally really ran an awful campaign in 2018 by engaging Ward in some awful mud slinging, hitched her wagon to Trump when it was clear she was doing so just for political advantage, and she really lost a lot of credibility in a race I thought she could have won easily as a veteran with no real skeletons in her closet. I don’t know if she recovers. I’d also note that inexplicably Kelli Ward was chosen to least the AZ state GOP. 

There are links out there about Kelly...but he went to buy a gun not long after the shooting, saw an AR15 and decided to purchase.  There are conflicts about intentions. Some say to show how easy it was (this was at a store) and he claimed also he would be turning it in to police after.  In addition he said he would later try at a gun show.  Store eventually cancelled his purchase as his claims were that it would not be for personal use.

 

[Don't Noonan]

He is a Navy Veteran, an engineer and an astronaut...I don't think he needs any coattails.

Trump carried AZ by less than 100,000 votes...to a really bad Hillary.

McSally has always had close races (150ish vote margin in 2014)...and lost her last.  I think Kelly has a chance so claiming no chance seems a bit odd to me.

Yes, obviously Kelly has a chance.  I was kidding about no chance.  I live in Arizona and most folks I talked to underestimated Sinema and voters will be out in full force to retain McCains seat as GOP.

 

[Don't Noonan]

I’m in Arizona. Two things:

1.  Can you link to documentation that he attempted to violate our gun laws via an illegal purchase? I ask because due to our very lax guns laws illegally purchasing a firearm is near impossible. 

2. I don’t necessarily disagree with your second point but McSally really ran an awful campaign in 2018 by engaging Ward in some awful mud slinging, hitched her wagon to Trump when it was clear she was doing so just for political advantage, and she really lost a lot of credibility in a race I thought she could have won easily as a veteran with no real skeletons in her closet. I don’t know if she recovers. I’d also note that inexplicably Kelli Ward was chosen to least the AZ state GOP. 

I will try and find a link on Kelly gun purchase.

As for McSalley, I agree she ran a terrible campaign.  Sinema spent WAY more in her campaign and I think McSally learned her lesson and will fight harder for contribitions.  We will see.

 

[the moops]

He didn't illegally purchase a gun. He attempted to purchase an assault weapon to show how easy it was. Owner of store ended up refusing to sell to him because he realized it was a political ploy

 

[Zow]

He didn't illegally purchase a gun. He attempted to purchase an assault weapon to show how easy it was. Owner of store ended up refusing to sell to him because he realized it was a political ploy

Interesting.  Seems like a "no duh" type thing given that Arizona intimates some pride on how easy it is to get a gun here. 

 

[Plorfu]

Oh for sure. And to be clear, the reason the video is great is because his story is great. Think about how many people launch their political careers based on being a veteran, or an astronaut, or having experienced some kind of family tragedy that gave their life purpose. Kelly checks all three boxes.

Still, his success will ultimately depend on whether he's a good candidate, which we don't really know right now.

Hadn't realized that about Gallego. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Thankfully, Gallego is bowing out. A little surprising but I'd much rather avoid a primary and let Ruben keep his seat in a super safe district where he's free to just throw haymakers.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, averting primary brawl, won't run for the Senate

“I don’t want to engage in a bitter primary all the way until the general election, and then turn around and try to run, whether it’s me or Kelly, against McSally in a year when the Democrats need to win the Senate seat and take the state,” Gallego told The Republic. “It’s just not in the best interest of the state or the Democratic Party to be engaging in that. … If Republicans are excited to see a spirited and nasty primary, they’re going to have to look somewhere else because I’m not going to take part in that.”