After taking time to care for Giffords, Kelly resumed his training and commanded the mission just months later.
“He’s close to a national hero, so he’d be a perfect, amazing pick,” Hickenlooper said.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson also said he thought Kelly would be a good pick to become Harris’ vice president, praising Kelly as a great Navy test pilot, astronaut and husband.
“Mark was this incredible force of standing by her through all that time and I think that’s a testimony to his character,” Nelson said. “So I think Mark can be good at whatever.”
In a statement after the POLITICO event, Nelson added that Harris has “many outstanding candidates to choose from.”
Nelson, who was the last Democrat to represent Florida in the Senate, said that the White House could gain two strong space boosters if a Harris-Kelly ticket wins in November, noting that Harris has demonstrated an interest in space since they served together in the Senate.
