Newly elected U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) stands beside his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, while Vice President Mike Pence swears him into the Senate on Dec. 2, 2020. /Photo from @SenMarkKelly Twitter feed.
By Laura Olson | Arizona Mirror
Arizona’s Mark Kelly was sworn in Wednesday as a U.S. senator, giving the state two Democrats in the Senate for the first time in nearly 70 years and reducing Republican control in that chamber to 52-48.
Kelly, a Navy veteran, astronaut and husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally in last month’s election. Kelly was sworn in ahead of the start of the next congressional session in January because he won a special election to complete the remainder of the late Sen. John McCain’s term, which ends in 2022.
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Kelly’s win in flipping the Arizona Senate seat gives Democrats an additional vote in the chamber that could be crucial as Congress races toward year-end deadlines, including one by Dec. 11 to approve more funding to keep the government running. Talks also are continuing over some kind of economic relief package before year’s end.
It won’t be clear which party will hold a majority in the Senate in the next session until after votes are tallied in two closely watched Jan. 5 runoff races in Georgia.
