Vice President Kamala Harris has reportedly narrowed down her choice for presidential running mate to a small number of choices, and Arizona Republic columnist Phil Boas believes that his state's United States senator would be the perfect fit.
In his latest piece, Boas argues that Republicans aren't afraid of running against Harris, but they "absolutely should" be scared if she picks Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) as her running mate.
In particular, he argued that Kelly's biography as a Navy fighter pilot and NASA astronaut were likely to be highly appealing to swing voters.
Added to this, he writes, Kelly's parents were both police officers, which would make him an ideal messenger to rebut Republicans' attacks that Democrats are "soft on crime."
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"If Kelly were the nominee, America would know there would be someone in the Harris White House who understands police officers and believes in their mission," he argues. "When the Trump-Vance campaign accuses Harris of hating cops, Kelly could stand up and say, 'I’m the son of cops, don’t educate Americans on something you know nothing about.'"
And as a border state senator who has long called for tougher restrictions on immigration, Kelly could help Democrats shore up the issue that appears to be their biggest weakness among voters.
"Republicans are giddy at the thought of crushing Kamala Harris in November," he writes. "They need to get a grip. If Harris chooses the Arizonan as her running mate, you can call the Democrats soft. But Americans will look at Mark Kelly and see a rock."
