Vulnerable Arizona Senate Democrat welcomes Biden on campaign

Correction: An early version incorrectly described the standings in last week’s Fox News poll.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said on Sunday that he would welcome President Biden joining him on the campaign trail as he looks to retain his seat against Trump-backed challenger Blake Masters.

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” moderator Jake Tapper asked Kelly if he would like Biden to campaign in Arizona for him. 

“Hey, I will welcome anybody to come to Arizona, travel around the state at any time — as long as I’m here, if I’m not up in Washington in session — and talk about what Arizona needs,” Kelly replied, noting the importance of issues going on in his state. 

Kelly, a former NASA astronaut and husband to former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), is facing Masters, a close associate of tech investor and GOP mega donor Peter Thiel, in November’s midterm election. 

Tapper asked Kelly if there’s concern about Biden being the best candidate for Democrats in the 2024 presidential election, to which Kelly replied “Not at all, Jake.” 

A Fox News poll published last week showed that Kelly has an 8-point lead over Masters in their Senate race, as 50 percent of respondents backed Kelly, compared to 42 percent for Masters. 

A number of vulnerable Democrats have kept an arms length from Biden, who continues to have low approval ratings amid soaring inflation and economic anxiety.

Kelly also told Tapper that members of his state’s GOP party have “dangerous ideas,” adding that Republican senators currently in office “are good, good people, by and large, who are working really hard.”

–Updated on Aug. 22 at 5:20 a.m.