Democrat, Former Texas Resident And Astronaut, Mark Kelly Flips Republican Senate Seat In Arizona
ARIZONA (CBSDFW/AP) - Retired astronaut Mark Kelly, who lived in the Houston area for 15 years during his time at the Johnson Space Center has won the Arizona Senate seat once held by John McCain.
A Democrat, Kelly defeated Republican Martha McSally, who was appointed to the seat after McCain's death in 2018.
Kelly rode Arizona's changing electorate to flip a Republican Senate seat in a state long dominated by the GOP. He flew combat missions for the Navy during Operation Desert Storm before becoming a test pilot and later an astronaut.
Kelly is married to former Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. He remains an outspoken advocate of gun violence prevention since his wife was shot in 2011 while meeting with constituents in Arizona. They started an organization, called Giffords, to further their cause.
Kelly could be sworn in as early as Nov. 30.
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