Mark Kelly is a U.S. Senator for the state of Arizona. The former astronaut and Navy pilot entered office in December 2020 and ran for re-election in the 2022 midterm elections against Blake Masters. The Democratic senator is the co-founder of the nonprofit, Americans for Responsible Solutions.
Kelly, the son of two police officers, earned a B.S. degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in marine engineering and nautical science. He then went on to earn a M.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
Kelly was also a Navy pilot, where he earned many accolades like the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, along with multiple air medals. While in the Navy, he flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm before he retired from the Navy with the rank of Captain.
In 1996, he joined NASA’s class and took his first trip to space as a pilot of STS-108 in December 2001, where he was responsible for delivering equipment, supplies and additional crew members to the International Space Station. He spent more than 50 days in space before he retired from NASA in 2011.
In December 2020, Kelly was sworn into office after winning in a special election following the death of U.S. Sen. John McCain. While in office, Kelly helped pass the American Rescue Plan during the COVID pandemic. Kelly is also the co-founder of the non-profit organization, Americans for Responsible Solutions.
In the November 2022 midterm elections, Kelly ran for re-election against Republican Blake Masters in a close and vital race.
Kelly is married to former congresswomen Gabby Giffords and has two daughters, Claire and Claudia. Claire is a graduate from Arizona State University and Claudia is a current student at University of Arizona.
