Kelly, Mark, 1964-

Mark Edward Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American politician, businessman, retired astronaut for NASA, and retired U.S. Navy captain serving as the junior United States senator from Arizona since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, he won the 2020 special election, narrowly defeating incumbent Republican Martha McSally. Formerly an aerospace consultant and executive, Kelly is the author of several books. Kelly flew combat missions during the Gulf War as a naval aviator before being selected as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot in 1996. Kelly's wife, then-Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, was shot and nearly killed in an assassination attempt on January 8, 2011. Giffords and Kelly founded the nonprofit Americans for Responsible Solutions, later renamed Giffords, which campaigns for universal background checks for firearms and red flag laws. Kelly won the 2020 United States Senate special election in Arizona and was sworn in on December 2, 2020.