--- title: "One of the Top Candidates to Replace Biden Is a Former NASA Astronaut" description: "One of the top picks to replace Joe Biden on the Democratic presidential ticket is a former NASA astronaut and current senator." date: "2024-07-19" modified: "2024-07-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/biden-replacement-nasa-astronaut" categories: - "Future Society" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "elections" - "mark kelly" - "NASA" - "politics" --- # One of the Top Candidates to Replace Biden Is a Former NASA Astronaut ![One of the top picks to replace Joe Biden on the Democratic presidential ticket is a former NASA astronaut and current senator.]() *\Image: NASA\* If President Joe Biden decides to bow out of the presidential race, which now seems like a [growing possibility](), there will need to be a new candidate — and one of the top non-Kamala Harris choices for the job just happens to have been a prominent NASA astronaut. As [*Politico* reports](), ex-astronaut and [current Senator]() Mark Kelly is being considered as one of the top contenders for the role should Harris not helm the ticket. Kelly was highlighted in a [widely-circulated polling memo]() by an outfit called BlueLabs Analytics, *Politico* reports, outperforming Biden in a range of swing states. And his story is about as American as apple pie, which as [*The Daily Beast* notes]() makes him a particularly compelling pick for a Democratic party in crisis. Raised by ex-cops in New Jersey with his twin, Scott Kelly, the [junior senator from Arizona]() ended up as a NASA astronaut by first enlisting in the Navy and working his way up through the ranks. He and his twin were both selected as Space Shuttle pilots in 1996, and later enrolled in a NASA study with his brother to [see how space radiation affects genes](). Kelly ended up [retiring in 2011]() when his wife, then-congresswoman Gabby Giffords, was shot and nearly killed at a rally in Arizona. Over the ensuing decade, Kelly co-founded a [now-infamous Tuscon company]() that makes the kind of high-altitude balloons that freaked everyone out last year, began [campaigning for gun control]() alongside his wife, and eventually [won a seat in the Senate]() in 2020. He's also become something of a character in the spaceflight community for outspoken remarks and bombastic stunts — like the time he [admitted to trying to smuggle]() a gorilla suit onto the ISS to prank his twin, except that the SpaceX shuttle it was on blew up — as well as emerging as a [fierce advocate for science](). While Scott is the [far more outspoken]() of the Kellys, Mark has always seemed to be the more studious of the two. As such — and because he's, you know, a [straight white man]() from a swing state — the Arizona senator seems like as good a candidate pick as one can find in this race. Plus, it would admittedly be hilarious to watch an ex-astronaut debate Donald Trump. **More on politics:** [*Former Congressman Says the RNC Is the* "*Grindr Super Bowl"*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()