Scoop: Mark Kelly privately meets with South Carolina legislators
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Sen. Mark Kelly, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, quietly met with several state legislators Friday morning in the critical Democratic primary state of South Carolina, two people familiar with the meeting told Axios.
Why it matters: Kelly has been raising millions of dollars and traveling the country the last several months, which could set the Arizona senator up for a presidential bid.
State of play: In addition to the private meeting, Kelly — a veteran and former astronaut — held a town hall in Columbia, South Carolina focused on military families.
- Kelly's office declined to comment on a private meeting.
Zoom in: It's Kelly's second trip to South Carolina in recent months after visiting the state in June with his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, to talk about addressing gun violence.
- Kelly also visited Nevada, another critical presidential primary state, last weekend where he held a town hall with the state party.
- He has done events in several general election battlegrounds, including a Michigan town hall with Giffords and a veterans-focused town hall in North Carolina last month.
- Kelly also had nearly $8 million cash on hand at the end of June, which could be used for a 2028 re-election bid or transferred to a presidential campaign.
The big picture: Kelly is one of several Democrats making visits to key states for the 2028 presidential election.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) have all made trips to South Carolina this year.
- Kelly's fellow Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego (D) has also visited Iowa and New Hampshire. He had scheduled a town hall in Nevada this weekend, but canceled it on Thursday due to security concerns following the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
