Mark Kelly

This week on The Gaggle, hosts Ron Hansen and Stephanie Murray discuss what Sen. Mark Kelly's future could hold amid blocking the Pentagon from reducing his pension over a controversial video.

Speculation about Kelly's political future, including potential presidential ambitions, continues to grow.

Sen. Mark Kelly isn't just an Arizona name.

He spent 15 years as a NASA astronaut; testified before Congress about gun control after the Tucson shooting that impacted his wife, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords; and in 2024, there were whispers about his vice presidential consideration.

Last year, the national spotlight around him shone brighter.

In November, Kelly was one of six lawmakers in a video telling active members of the military they can refuse “illegal orders,” repeating longstanding military policy. President Donald Trump has described the video as “seditious,” and the U.S. Justice Department sought criminal indictments of everyone involved in the video. However, a grand jury in Washington, D.C., refused.

He's always been one of the more vocal critics of the Trump administration and he continues to fundraise at a noticeable rate. Combined with deferring questions about his future until after the 2026 midterm, this has people asking: What's next for Kelly?

This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Stephanie Murray discuss what Sen. Mark Kelly's future could hold amid blocking the Pentagon from reducing his pension over the controversial video and presidential campaign rumors.

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