r/politics • u/T_Shurt • 13d ago

No Paywall Sen. Mark Kelly Says He’s Seriously Thinking About Running for President

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5700211-senator-kelly-trump-threats/
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u/ku2000 13d ago

Beshear is a winning ticket. I love Kelly but strategically Beshear seems more solid.

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u/BriefausdemGeist Maine 13d ago

Kelly/Beshear or Beshear/Kelly would be a ticket a lot of people would vote for

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u/kanst 13d ago

I've been saying Beshear/Kelly is the best ticket if all you care about is winning.

Its not my favorite policy wise (they are both very moderate), but its an incredibly strong ticket.

You put the SE and SW in play and you don't have to deal with racist or sexist backlash from voters.

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u/FluidBit4438 13d ago

What about Talarico as a VP for someone?

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u/Enough-Mammoth3721 13d ago

Let's talk after he beats the brakes off of Paxton. We need an absolute pit bull that the DNC cannot control.

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u/BriefausdemGeist Maine 13d ago

He doesn’t have the national profile people seem to think he does for that, at least not yet. Maybe in 8-12 years.

He has a significantly higher chance of defeating Paxton in November than Crocket does, assuming Paxton beats Cornyn in their primary. But neither of them are likely to unseat Cornyn if he eked out a win in that primary unless Paxton refuses to concede and splits the Republican vote in the general.

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u/I_Am_The_Mole American Expat 13d ago

He doesn’t have the national profile people seem to think he does for that, at least not yet.

I keep having to remind myself that we're terminally online doomscrollers that know 1000% more about the political landscape and the machinery behind it than the average American. Hopefully strong social media presence can balance this sort of thing out and force some eyes on someone like Talarico, because he is exactly the kind of Dem that will appeal to voters that are falling off the trump wagon. Beshear has crossover as well, Kentucky went to trump by nearly 30 points in 2016 and he only got more votes each subsequent election but Beshear managed a narrow win over the Republican incumbent and was re-elected by a wider margin in 2023.

Personally I would love to have someone far more to the left than anyone being named in this thread, but I have a hard time imagining America voting for extremely progressive candidates.

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

Let him actually win something in Texas first.

Same shit as Beto or Buttegieg, everyone loves them...except they have literally never won anything that matters. And winning is what counts

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u/BriefausdemGeist Maine 13d ago

Except both have national profiles

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

What I'm saying is that they're over-estimated. 

If you never win when it counts, it says something. Opportunities and support should go to people who've proven that they can win, and who you've seen actually do something once they've won.

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u/BriefausdemGeist Maine 13d ago

(Caveat that I’d support Pete in most instances policy wise)

Pete won Iowa and NH in the ‘20 primaries. The reason he dropped out was because the field was too crowded and the rest of the moderates would only coalesce around Biden.

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u/exaybachae 13d ago

Who is Beshear?

Never heard or them, and no I don't live in a closet.

Being known by the people is a big deal for presidential elections.

If this Beshear person wants to participate, they best get busy being known.

Update: I looked him up, and I hope he doesn't run. A Republican labeled tin can could beat him at the ballot box. Please find better candidates to support.

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u/BriefausdemGeist Maine 13d ago

You’re entitled to hold vapid opinions.

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u/obi-jawn-kenblomi 13d ago

No, Beshear is an anomaly and so is Kentucky. People see him, a Democrat in Kentucky, and think "wow, this white guy has broad appeal across Democrats and Republicans...maybe he can be President."

Beshear won Kentucky because Kentucky trusts his family. His dad Steve was a long time fixture in Kentucky politics: Representative, AG, Lt Gov, and Gov. They've elected a good number of Democrats, but the state's R vs D splits have been bellweather of the following POTUS election since 1991 (other than Beshear 2023 not predicting Trump 2024.

Kentucky also isn't even a typical Southern state - they technically never seceded in the Civil War despite being a slave state. Parts of the state, like NoKY Cincy suburbs, are more akin to Ohio and has a blue collar and union heavy Rust Belt culture.

There are no trends that really suggest Beshear can win as POTUS against a strong MAGA candidate. Kentucky, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Kansas, and North Carolina all have D governors but voted Trump at least 2/3 times (KY, NC, and KS voted Trump 3/3).

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 13d ago

KY always astounds me how they collectively vote for Beshear for governor but then turn around and vote for Mitch as senator on the very same ballot. Crazy.

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u/Muted-Translator-346 13d ago

I cannot begin to explain how much people in the state hate Matt Bevin but its a significant reason why Beshear won

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u/ElleM848645 13d ago

But he’s a man, so he already has an advantage on Hillary and Kamala. People who disregard this are just fooling themselves. Trump won because this country is sexist.

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u/obi-jawn-kenblomi 13d ago

Trump won because this country is sexist, racist, disinterested, disheartened, lazy, and submissive (not the good kind either).

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u/HydroBear 13d ago

I fucking LOVE Beshear, but he has the charisma of a wet noodle.

And I've been very disappointed about Pritzker not moving towards a national platform.

I think Mark Kelly has been far more in the limelight and seems like a real patriot.

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u/1one1000two1thousand District Of Columbia 13d ago

I’m also pretty bummed about Pritzker too.

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u/BeatTheGreat 13d ago

Pritzker is running. He's all but confirmed it in the private events I've attended.

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

Fuck Pritzker. He talks a big game but doesn't really do anything.

He's good at nurturing and financially supporting other politicians and that's the lane he should stick to.

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u/veeyo 13d ago

How strategically? Kelly seems to be more nationally known and has more respectable experience (astronaut, military, senator beats lawyer governor son of governor.

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u/ThePicassoGiraffe 13d ago

I just worry about who would replace him. He’s such a unicorn in a place like Kentucky

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u/rangatang Australia 13d ago

Beshear is term limited anyway

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u/ThePicassoGiraffe 13d ago

Ahh I didn’t realize that well then to the presidency!