'This is not about me': What Sen. Mark Kelly is saying about VP speculation

Sen. Mark Kelly deflected questions on Capitol Hill on Wednesday about the possibility of being the running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris, maintaining the focus should remain on her bid to defeat former President Donald Trump.

Walking through the halls of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Kelly, D-Ariz., faced reporters as he is among a group of Democrats being vetted for a spot on the party’s refashioned ticket.

Asked whether he would accept the vice presidential nomination, Kelly said, “This is not about me. This is about the future of this country.”

Kelly is among perhaps four finalists getting serious scrutiny for the position, along with governors Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.

Others are being vetted, and new names come in and out the discussion, which has evolved rapidly since President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he was quitting the race and Harris became the presumptive nominee.

As Kelly sidestepped his possible involvement in the race, he framed the race in terms already being used by Harris and Democrats, who are emphasizing Trump’s criminal convictions in New York.

“This is a choice between Kamala Harris, who’s an experienced prosecutor, vice president, U.S. senator, (California) attorney general, and a guy who’s a convicted felon,” Kelly told reporters, as shown in a social media post from CNN.

On Tuesday, Kelly told reporters that Arizona, a crucial battleground state this election, is "100% winnable" for the Democrats.

"It is absolutely winnable. I won it twice, President Biden won it in 2020, and Kamala Harris is going to win it here," Kelly said.

Kelly’s possible nomination continues to pick up support, though it is unclear whether that will influence Harris’ thinking.

Support: Arizona Dems endorse Sen. Mark Kelly for VP hours after saying they'd leave pick to Harris

On Wednesday, for example, Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who is running for the U.S. Senate with Kelly’s endorsement returned the favor in his own comments at the Capitol.

“As someone that wants to make sure that we have a good shot to win, this is the best ticket,” Gallego told CNN. “He’s a border-state senator, understands border issues, is an astronaut, married to Gabby Giffords, it’s all kind of a good combination.”

Riley Beggin of USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'This is not about me': US Sen. Mark Kelly weighs in on VP talk