Mark Kelly to Be Sworn In, Narrowing G.O.P.’s Senate Majority

In Arizona, Mr. Kelly discovered the wind at his again, going through a weakened candidate in Republican Senator Martha McSally, and a quickly altering state the place ladies, youthful voters and Latinos had change into more and more highly effective elements of the citizens. Ms. McSally misplaced a Senate bid in 2018 after tying herself to President Trump, solely to be appointed to a distinct seat and follow the identical playbook in 2020.

On the marketing campaign path, Mr. Kelly leaned onerous into his biography as a former Navy captain and astronaut, adopting the mantra “full speed ahead.” He had a compelling surrogate in Ms. Giffords, who spoke in private phrases about his dedication to each his nation and to her, gesturing in an advertisement to how he had “helped me by way of my darkest moments.”

Mr. Kelly shortly emerged as a fund-raising juggernaut, shattering data in state and nationally by tapping his personal community and constructing an inventory of small greenback donors who had been energized by Mr. Kelly’s dynamic biography and decided to wrest management of the Senate away from Republicans.

“As Mark likes to say, his spouse Gabby was already the member of the household in Congress, however tragedy upended each their lives and altered so lots of their plans,” Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority chief, mentioned Wednesday. “Everybody continues to be impressed by Gabby’s restoration, by Mark’s devotion, and the braveness it took for his or her household to re-enter public life and public service.”

As a candidate, Mr. Kelly minimize a largely cautious determine, pointedly staying away from points tinged with controversy and preserving a laserlike give attention to selling bipartisanship and well being care reform. He spoke overtly and infrequently about his admiration for Mr. McCain, a fellow naval aviator, citing the broadly revered Arizonan because the blueprint for the kind of lawmaker he wish to change into.

He’ll work out of Mr. McCain’s previous workplace, and on Tuesday, the day earlier than being sworn in, Mr. Kelly and his household visited the senator’s grave on the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis.