PHOENIX — Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly endorsed fellow Democrat Ruben Gallego on Wednesday to replace Kyrsten Sinema in the U.S. Senate.
"I'm looking forward to serving with him. He's going to win this election," Kelly said in an exclusive joint interview with Gallego from Washington, D.C. "Elections are obviously about choices. And I don't think the choice could be more stark than between Ruben and his opponent, Kari Lake."
"Mark Kelly has proven he knows how to win Arizona," Gallego said. "Having his backing is huge."
Kelly is a Democrat who's won two Senate races two years apart in a state that's trending purple.
Kelly is also a prodigious nationwide fundraiser who can open donors' doors for the five-term congressman from Phoenix. Arizona's U.S. Senate race could be one of the most expensive in the country.
The politicians share the bond of military service: Gallego is a Marine veteran of Iraq, Kelly was a Navy combat pilot and NASA astronaut.
Gallego has a long record as a progressive Democrat, Kelly as a centrist. Both said they have worked well together during Kelly's three years in office.
"We've visited military installations together," Kelly said. "We both understand the military, Arizona is a big military state. Together, we've had big wins for the State of Arizona."
The endorsement came 24 hours after Sinema announced she wouldn't run for a second term in the Senate. Sinema was elected as a Democrat in 2018, then re-registered as an independent in late 2022.
Kelly proved to be a fierce critic of the likely Republican Senate nominee, Kari Lake. Lake has refused to acknowledge her defeat in the 2022 election for governor or Donald Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
"When you consider what she has done to democracy in the State of Arizona, we cannot allow her to have a platform to expand that nationally," Kelly said. "Ruben is committed to working across the aisle with Republicans to get things done for Arizonans. On the other hand, you have Kari Lake in her last election, she's kicking Republicans, moderate Republicans, out of the room. If you support John McCain, get out of the room. We don't need that in the United States Senate."
Lake was in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday meeting senators and doing fundraising of her own.
She picked up the endorsement of South Dakota Sen. John Thune... Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's second-in-command and a possible successor when McConnell retires in November. Lake also met with McConnell.
Lake wasn't available for comment.
A spokesman provided this comment on the Mark Kelly endorsement: "Ruben Gallego is a radical departure from the representation Arizonans usually have. He is a far-left Democrat who voted with Biden 100 percent of the time. He is for open borders and higher taxes. Arizonans won't be fooled by his liberal record."
Lake's Republican primary opponent, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, is far behind her in fundraising and endorsements.
Lake is backed by more than a dozen sitting GOP senators and the endorser who matters most in a GOP primary, Donald Trump.
Lamb's campaign issued a news release Wednesday calling for a series of debates with Lake.
"My experience and ability to pick up support from conservative independents and Democrats separate me from the Republican field," Lamb said in the news release.
"With that in mind, I am calling for a series of debates with Kari Lake. Voters deserve to hear and see their candidates front and center on the issues."
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