POLITICO's 'The Conversation': Sen. Mark Kelly Says He Hasn't Decided on 2028 Run, Calls for Negotiated Exit From Iran War

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) told POLITICO's Dasha Burns on the Nov. 13, 2026, episode of "The Conversation" that he has not decided whether to run for president in 2028. He called for a negotiated settlement with Iran, said there may be enough evidence to remove Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and said midterm voters were rejecting Republicans more than embracing Democrats.

Nov 15, 2026 - 16:17

0 0

Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona says he still has not decided whether to run for president in 2028, telling POLITICO's Dasha Burns that he will make the call "after the midterms" on a timeline he declined to share. The remarks came in the Nov. 13, 2026, episode of POLITICO's weekly interview podcast "The Conversation with Dasha Burns," titled "Can a low-key Democrat win in 2028?"

The roughly 44-minute interview was recorded on Veterans Day in San Diego, where Kelly had just walked in a parade in front of the USS Midway, the aircraft carrier from which he flew combat missions during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The Arizona Democrat, a retired Navy captain and former NASA astronaut, discussed the U.S. war with Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Democratic Party's midterm win, immigration, U.S. aid to Israel and his own political future.

Still weighing a 2028 run

Burns reminded Kelly that he had told POLITICO's Adam Wren he would decide on a presidential bid after the midterm elections. "After the midterms goes on for a while," Kelly replied. Asked whether he would decide before the end of the year, he said he had not settled on when he would make the decision. Asked whether he had already decided privately, he said: "I actually have not made a decision on this. I am thinking about it."

Kelly described himself as an atypical candidate, citing his 25 years on active duty in the Navy and his background as an engineer, and said his decision would turn on whether he is "the right person at the right time," whether he can win and whether his family, including his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, supports it. He said former Vice President Kamala Harris's choice about entering the race "will not impact my decision one way or the other," and said the two had "played phone tag a little bit," though not recently.

Burns pressed Kelly on whether a quieter political style can break through in an attention economy reshaped by President Donald Trump and by viral speeches from Democrats such as Sen. Jon Ossoff. "I have no idea," Kelly said. "Maybe we'll find out. Maybe we won't." Responding to Rep. Jim Clyburn's view, shared earlier with Burns, that a governor would have an early advantage, Kelly said he saw the benefits of executive experience but also "the value of having somebody who has relationships with Republicans in Congress."

Iran war and Hegseth

On Iran, Kelly contrasted the current conflict with the 1991 Gulf War, which he said had a well-defined goal and ended in about six weeks. He argued the administration entered the current war without a clear strategic objective, plan, timeline or exit strategy, and said the United States can neither walk away, which he said would leave Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz, nor escalate. "You got to make a deal," he said.

Kelly said any settlement must guarantee freedom of navigation through the strait and a commitment by Iran not to develop a nuclear weapon, and predicted the outcome would resemble the nuclear agreement Trump withdrew from in 2018. He said the administration should replace Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff as negotiators with "professionals" experienced in dealing with Iran.

Kelly called Hegseth "the most unqualified Secretary of Defense we've ever had as a country." Asked about the House Republican effort that blocked Hegseth's impeachment, he said he knows of Republican senators unhappy with the secretary, naming Sen. Thom Tillis, who he noted will leave the Senate after Jan. 3. "From what I know now, I think there is enough there to remove Pete Hegseth from his job," Kelly said, adding that it was unclear whether enough Republicans would vote to convict.

Trump's attacks and the midterms

Kelly was one of six members of Congress who recorded a video reminding service members that they have no duty to obey illegal orders. He said Trump's response gave the video "a lot more attention than it would have received otherwise," and noted the president had said he should be hanged and had sought to indict him. Kelly said he raised and gave away more than $14 million during the election cycle and said he would not thank Trump "for anything." According to POLITICO Playbook, Trump posted on Nov. 12 that Kelly and the other lawmakers should be "prosecuted"; Kelly told Playbook that "Donald Trump is distracted."

On the midterm results, in which Democrats won control of Congress, Kelly said: "It's not that the American people love the Democrats and that's why we won this election. It's that they're really not happy with the Republicans." He said Democrats now need to pass legislation and send it to Trump's desk, and said he would work with the president on bills such as health care subsidies or a minimum wage increase if Americans benefited. He reiterated his support for Sen. Chuck Schumer as majority leader.

Immigration and Israel

As a border-state senator, Kelly said a deal with Trump on immigration "could be" possible and would be "a very positive thing for the country," particularly for Dreamers. He called border conditions under President Joe Biden "a disaster" but said internal enforcement under the current administration has been, in many cases, illegal and must be reformed.

On Israel, Kelly said it is appropriate to reevaluate U.S. security assistance, after Trump said Israel no longer needs billions of dollars in American military aid. Asked about the term genocide, he said Israel's government had shown "a reckless disregard for collateral damage and the loss of innocent human life" in Gaza, but did not adopt the term, calling the debate partly a matter of semantics.

The episode was also featured in POLITICO's Nov. 13 Playbook newsletter and referenced in that day's Playbook Podcast, which noted that Kelly would not confirm a 2028 run while "dropping plenty of hints."