He's a sitting senator of a red leaning state who won because of who he is. He has to vacate to run for VP, which is bad for keeping that seat. Losing the senate easily hamstrings any efforts a President Harris would bring, especially with GOP being the way they are.
Granted, that can be a problem for all swing state guys. Just isn't as terrible for governors (although that can screw with other things, like voting rights in a given state).
Senator Kelly's replacement would be required by Arizona law to be a Democrat appointed by the Governor (also currently a Democrat). The special election to replace the replacement wouldn't be until 2026. If he's the right one for the job, it might be worth potentially taking a hit 2 years into a Harris administration.
That's a good point. I didn't know it wasn't until 2026. The main point is to sure up Arizona, which is understandable. The guy from Pennsylvania might be good for that reason, too, but that's a little less iffy as it's a little more blue, especially since it sounds like Philly is loving the Harris hype.
He's pretty moderate though. I'm not sure he's really the best choice nationally - Harris won't need help bringing the middle over, she needs to convince progressives to vote.
No, actual progressives will vote against fascism, no question. Don't let the trolls fool you. It's the people in red areas with only modest critical thinking skills that need to be won over. Hammer home the fact that Kelly isn't an absolute nutter. Paint that as the big difference between him and the republican ticket. And have the fact that he was in the military proudly displayed, and the fact that he was an astronaut can bring up the rear of their message.
People who love astronauts are already into science. It's the classic conservatives/moderates that need to be won over.
The progressives need motivation more than anything, and now they have it with Harris. It's the wishy-washy groups - centrists, right of center, and undecided (how can you be undecided right now wtf?!) - that need coaxing.