Sen. Kelly Scrubs Post Suggesting He's Not VP Pick

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., deleted a post on X that indicated he will remain in the U.S. Senate and not be Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate.

Kelly, who has been among potential Democrat vice-presidential choices, created some confusion with his post Sunday.

"My background is a bit different than most politicians. I spent my life serving in the Navy and at NASA, where the mission always comes first. Now, my mission is serving Arizonans," Kelly posted, Yahoo.com reported.

Kelly quickly deleted the post. Minutes later, he posted another comment.

"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 wrote with a photo showing him speaking several military members.

Kelly spokesperson Jacob Peters suggested users should not read too much into the senator's statements.

"An Arizona senator tweeting about being an Arizona senator is not news! Go back to your Sundays everybody!" Peters wrote on X.

Kelly, a former astronaut, is married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., whose promising political career was cut short by an assassination attempt in 2011.

Harris is expected to announce her running mate by Tuesday after conducting interviews with top contenders at her Washington, D.C., residence over the weekend, Reuters reported.

Harris closed out her search by interviewing three top candidates — Kelly, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — at her Naval Observatory residence in Washington on Sunday, sources told the news agency.

Others considered front-runners include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Arizona and Pennsylvania are considered key battleground states in the November presidential election.

Harris' decision could be announced at any time before her first public appearance with the vice presidential nominee on Tuesday in Philadelphia, before they start a cross-country tour across several battleground states, sources told Reuters.