Archive · 10 Aug 2026
Mark Kelly urged by pro-science group to run for president
Mark Kelly is a United States Senator from Arizona.
He used to be an astronaut and a Navy pilot.
Now he is thinking about running for president in 2028.
A group called 314 Action Fund wants him to run.
This group helps scientists and engineers get elected to public office.
Its leader said they would support Kelly right away if he ran.
Kelly flew 39 combat missions in a war called Operation Desert Storm.
He went into space four times and even lived on the International Space Station.
The group thinks people with science backgrounds make good leaders.
Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly has indicated he is seriously considering running for US president in 2028.
The liberal group 314 Action Fund publicly urged Kelly to run, with its president saying 'If Mark Kelly ran, we'd be there day one.'
314 Action Fund has repeatedly backed Kelly, endorsing him in 2020 and 2022 and urging Kamala Harris to pick him as her 2024 running mate.
The group promotes candidates with STEM backgrounds as a counterweight to public health cuts and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kelly, a former NASA astronaut and Navy combat pilot, flew 39 missions during Operation Desert Storm and commanded the final Space Shuttle Endeavour mission.
- Who
- Mark Kelly, Democratic US Senator from Arizona and former NASA astronaut, and 314 Action Fund, a liberal group that backs scientists running for office.
- What
- 314 Action Fund publicly urged Kelly to run for president after he indicated he is seriously considering a 2028 bid.
- When
- The backing was announced on Sunday, 9 August.
- Where
- Arizona, Kelly's home state, with the support framed around a national presidential race.
- Why
- The group supports STEM-backed candidates as a counterweight to public health cuts and as political 'outsiders' who appeal to voters.
- Senator
- Mark Kelly (D-Arizona)
- Backing group
- 314 Action Fund, a liberal pro-science group
- Potential race
- 2028 US presidential election
- Group president
- Joshua Morrow
- Previous career
- NASA astronaut and US Navy combat pilot
- Group's decade-long fundraising
- Over $100 million raised
- Space missions
- Four, including commanding the final Space Shuttle Endeavour flight
- Endorsement date
- Sunday, 9 August