Gabby Giffords, wife of VP contender Mark Kelly, campaigns for Harris alongside Shapiro supporters

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords visited Philadelphia to campaign on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday as the vice president is said to be vetting Giffords’ husband, Sen. Mark Kelly, as a potential running mate.

Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, is seen as one of the top contenders for the job, along with Gov. Josh Shapiro, who will hit the campaign trail for Harris in Pennsylvania next week.

Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, spoke about gun policy alongside Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia), who has been a strong advocate for Shapiro as a vice presidential candidate.

The former Arizona lawmaker left public office after surviving a gunshot to the head. She now leads Giffords, a national organization advocating for solutions to gun violence as her recovery continues.

“A better world is possible, but change doesn’t happen overnight and we can’t do it alone,” Giffords said in a brief speech about the ways her life was transformed by gun violence.

Giffords demurred when asked whether she’d thought about being second lady. But she spoke highly of her husband, a former astronaut who was first elected to the Senate in a 2020 special election. “He is my best friend, he is so funny, funny, funny. I love him a lot,” Giffords said of Kelly.

Kelly and Shapiro are two of a handful of names widely considered to be on a short-list of potential VP candidates that also includes North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Philadelphia-area Democrats have been enthusiastically pushing Shapiro’s name as an ideal pick who could help secure Pennsylvania for Harris in November. McClinton told The Inquirer earlier this week that Harris should choose Shapiro.

Pennsylvania and Arizona were both crucial to President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and are among the top battlegrounds for the November matchup between Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, McClinton said Harris will have to choose a running mate who can build coalitions nationwide. She said Shapiro has “always been the people’s champion.”

Despite her preference for Shapiro, McClinton had high praise for Kelly.

“But I also recognize, as I told the congresswoman when she came in, that Sen. Kelly continues to be a champion,” McClinton said. “A former veteran and astronaut. Someone who earned the United States Senate seat in Arizona with the support of the late Sen. John McCain is someone we all hold in high regard.”