this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2026
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US Democratic Senator Mark Kelly has said he will "seriously consider" running for president in 2028 as he battles the Trump administration over a video in which he urged military personnel to refuse illegal orders.

The Arizona senator, who was accused of "seditious behaviour" by Donald Trump over the November clip, said he and his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, received "many" death threats after the president's comments.

"We get them on a weekly basis now," he told BBC Newsnight. "We had to get security to protect us 24 hours a day."

Asked if he was considering a White House run, the retired Navy captain said he was considering it "because we're in some seriously challenging times".

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[–] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 23 points 1 day ago (9 children)

i like mark kelly and gabby would be a fantastic first lady but please not right now; we need a radical to clean up the mess.

[–] Th3D3k0y@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

I just had a thought about how funny it would be for the next president to report Trump and fam for sedition

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[–] Astrius@lemmy.ml 19 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Worker led revolution please this system doesn’t serve us.

[–] orcmode@lemmy.world 5 points 19 hours ago

Here here. We need to counter the brownshirts before we worry about electorialism.

[–] Elroc@lemmus.org 28 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So if he wins he will be at retirement age when he is starting? Are you sure he is old enough for American voters?

[–] smeenz@lemmy.nz 14 points 1 day ago

He's not nearly senile enough

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 103 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

And I will seriously consider voting for just about anyone else left of him in the primary. No offense to him, he seems like a very solid dude, but the time for half-measures, centrists, and people that believe institutions will save us is well beyond over.

[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 68 points 1 day ago (23 children)

You nailed it on the head. If AOC runs, I’m absolutely voting for her. If not, Kelly seems a lot better than Newsom.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago (10 children)

Yeah Kelley seems to be a centrist with a soul. I don't want another fucking centrist but I really must insist on a candidate with a soul

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[–] Nebraska_Huskers@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ya I'm done placating Dems, anyone left of Gavin or Kelly will have my vote. I've played it safe the last 2 elections with trump. We need a Hail Mary. Not more complacent. Marks only in this for a personal grudge, which is fine but when it come to big picture he will be just another dem.

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 4 points 21 hours ago

I just realized while walking my dog today that a new hard line for me with Democrats is that if you accept corporate / billionaire PAC donations, I'm not donating to your campaign.

I cannot continue to pretend like you will actually give a fuck about my interests when you got into office using mostly money from sources that are actively working against my interests.

I'll still vote as left as possible in both the primary and the general regardless, but I'm through giving campaign contributions to candidates where my money -- and therefore my influence -- is a drop in the bucket.

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[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 18 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I am hard pressed to think of a democrat I would vote for in a primary over him.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 24 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

A lot of lefties going to complain about his support for israel, even if modest. But honestly I cannot see another viable candidate in the wings. We have a couple years still but things are getting scary in terms of actual prospects and we're going to have to throw our hats in with someone (other than Newsom) so Kelly is probably going to be a great bet, he appeals to the largest swath of moderate America who are tuned out and just want to hear that someone strong and professional will keep them in their comforts, and he has enough established clout with the legislative branch that he already has political capital, they won't be afraid of working with him.

And he's seen Earth from space, and had to be a caregiver for a wife who was the victim of a political assassination attempt, I imagine that builds all the best kind of character and empathy.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

A lot of lefties going to complain about his support for israel, even if modest.

Really depends on who he is running against and how he positions himself along the way. If he's out saying "Israel is our oldest and dearest friend, they just made a few mistakes" or god forbid "Anyone critical is anti-Semitic" he's DOA. If he's out there saying "We spend billions of dollars so Israel can have clean potable water and top tier health care, so it's time to bring those amenities back to the US", he can probably hurdle that criticism well enough.

he appeals to the largest swath of moderate America who are tuned out and just want to hear that someone strong and professional will keep them in their comforts

I mean, Biden appealed to these same voters by adopting half of Bernie Sanders's platform and half of Hillary Clinton's. Then he spent four years yelling at people for using TikTok and arguing the need to kill more brown people.

Kelly's fine on paper, but if he opens his mouth and sounds like another "moderate Dem"... I think he's going to have the same kind of trouble Cuomo did.

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[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 9 points 1 day ago

Yeah that was something before trump got in but for democrats like myself the only thing that matters now is getting our house in order. Even then it was not like my top concern more of a hey why are we even involved in this bs but now its something that just is not part of the equation for me. I mean its a strange comparison but its somewhat like obama. Character, intelligence, ability. Honestly the age thing is likely the biggest factor but hoowee compared to we have been having he will still be a pup but who knows how the next two years will go.

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[–] EpicMuch@sh.itjust.works 132 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I’d vote vote for anyone (Mark Kelly) over anyone who protects pedophiles. Plain. Simple. Straightforward.

[–] SailorFuzz@lemmy.world 93 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Honestly, I'm just happy if theres an alternative to Newsome. Kelly isnt a progressive, but hes not a full blown corpo shill that the DNC would happily shove down our throats if unopposed.

[–] sparky@lemmy.federate.cc 10 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

Yeah I intended to write a very similar comment. I think Kelly is respected as someone who is both honest and who cares about the country, so while I’d nominally prefer a progressive, Kelly would be a huge alternative to Newsom’s slicked-back car salesman energy.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 81 points 1 day ago (30 children)

Either the next president will be a Democratic Socialist, or it will be a fascist. Democrats need to get back 20% of their base, plus the margin they need to pick up in the places they need to make up the differences they'll need to win the big house.

Ask yourself this without looking at this announcement: Can a corporate Democrat do that?

I'm telling you now, either the next president will be a Democratic Socialist, or the Republicans win. No amount of glazing liberals is going to make them capable of winning an election.

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[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Honestly I'd love for him to run in the primary against a progressive.

He's left of center centrist to be sure but miles ahead of that slimy ass Newsome.

[–] Iceblade02@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I'd vote for him. Back when Biden was dropping out, I posted the question of peoples preferred democratic candidate, and Kelly was suggested by several people.

I think he could have won the '24 election had he been the candidate, and I think he could win the next election also.

The fact that (as he said in the video) he "Doesn't consider himself a politician" is a huge plus.

It's a bit sad that he's starting to get old though. 60 seemed perfectly okay, 65 is a bit on the high end.

[–] locahosr443@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago

If Trump can make it to his age on a diet of McDonalds and child semen I'd bet Kelly will be good for a while yet.

Not ideal, but "not fucking awful" would be a big step up for the dnc.

If I have to vote for someone I’d rather it be an astronaut.

[–] WanderWisley@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago
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