Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who is up for reelection in November, ran his first campaign as a moderate but has voted in lockstep with Biden as a Democrat loyalist.
In the 2020 special election, Kelly repeatedly marketed himself to voters as a moderate candidate who would not be beholden to the interests of the Democratic Party.
In an interview with PBS Arizona in July 2019 Kelly remarked, “My goal here is to, if elected, I’m going to stand up for Arizona in a nonpartisan, nonpolitical, and independent way.”
He doubled down on this message when he stated in a television interview, “Folks want change, I think they want independence. They want people who are independent from corporate PACs and corporations and their political parties. And change is good.”
“We’re … living in a hyper-partisan, divisive time,” Kelly said, before going on to claim, “I will be independent from political parties … and if elected, I will be doing the work for Arizona.”
In a campaign ad for this election cycle, Kelly once again painted himself as a moderate. “I’m pushing for solutions today even if it means taking on my own party,” Kelly stated in the advertisement.
A Democratic Party canvasser holds up campaign material for Joe Biden and Mark Kelly while knocking on doors in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, October 15, 2020 to encourage people to vote. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
While Kelly continues to market himself to Arizona voters as a moderate candidate who would be “independent from political parties,” his voting record shows that he has been a reliable vote for Biden.
One analysis found that Kelly voted in line with Biden’s priorities over 94% of the time. Polling from OH Predictive Insights, published in June, found that Biden is underwater in Arizona, with only 42 percent of Arizona voters approving of Biden’s job as opposed to 53 percent who disapprove.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), right, accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), left, speaks at a news conference in Washington, Tuesday, February 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Kelly has made comments that indicate he may be attempting to avoid campaigning with Biden, despite voting with him so frequently.
Additionally, Kelly has voted with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer 96 percent of the time.
Republican U.S. senatorial candidate Blake Masters (pictured) will face off against Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in November. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
America Rising PAC press secretary Whitney Robertson told Breitbart News, “Contrary to his rhetoric on the campaign trail, Mark Kelly has been nothing but a rubber stamp for Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer’s devastating agenda.”
Time magazine noted that Kelly has “been a staunch party loyalist. Unlike [Sen. Kyrsten] Sinema [(D-AZ)], Kelly has supported the Biden Administration’s key legislative priorities.” The article also points out, “Contrary to Sinema, though, Kelly built up a reputation in Washington as someone the party leadership could rely on, according to a senior Democratic Senate aide.”
“While he often voiced concerns about the Administration’s border policies, he almost always voted with the party,” Time continued.
In fact, Breitbart News reported that Mark Kelly has consistently voted against border security despite representing a border state that acutely experiences the consequences of mass illegal immigration. Meanwhile, nearly 5 million illegal immigrants have crossed our border since Biden took office.
Mark Kelly will be facing off against Trump-endorsed Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters in November.
The Mark Kelly campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com