As he increasingly flirts with a 2028 presidential run, Mark Kelly is winning friends up and down the ballot — if not influencing his Trump administration enemies.
In an effort to help flip the House and Senate in 2026, Kelly has strategically used his star turn as President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Public Enemy No. 1 to ramp up his giving and fundraising to competitive candidates, party committees and state parties to the tune of nearly $5 million last year, according to figures shared exclusively with POLITICO.
Since Trump in late November attacked the Arizona senator and other national security Democrats with a Truth Social post accusing them of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH,” one of the biggest questions in political circles has been just how much Kelly would benefit from Trump fashioning him into a foil. That post has raised Kelly’s profile, boosted further by Hegseth announcing an investigation into Kelly.
While Kelly’s total fundraising numbers aren’t yet available, what he raised and gave away will likely only be a fraction. His moves thus far — and the spotlight that Trump has shone on him — have positioned him to be a key fundraiser for Democrats in 2026, and offer him a platform to build out a 2028 base.
Kelly made more than $1 million in direct contributions and transfers to Democrats across the country, bringing his total direct contributions to more than $1.4 million for 2025. That includes $100,000 each to the DCCC and the DSCC and more than $280,000 to the DNC and state parties combined. As for the Senate, the DSCC vice chair has raised or contributed more than $2.3 million for the committee since the start of last year. He also raised $1 million for other Democrats in the fourth quarter alone by signing emails, text messages and ads.
Kelly also made direct contributions to approximately 30 state parties, including in potential early nominating 2028 states like Iowa, Michigan, South Carolina and New Hampshire. He also made two trips to South Carolina and one trip to Michigan, along with travel to Nevada.
“There’s definitely a message there that resonates with Nevada voters across the board,” Nevada Democrats Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno told POLITICO, adding that Kelly drew a diverse crowd to the event he attended and praising his contribution to the state party. “So yes, I know there’ll be a number of people that will probably throw their hat in the ring, but he has definitely sparked the interest of some Nevada voters.”
That’s not to mention off-year election trips for Democrats in North Carolina, New Jersey and Virginia. “Senator Kelly is working overtime to support Democrats running in tough races because he knows that taking back the House and Senate is critical to holding Trump accountable and delivering relief from rising costs for American families,” said Jacob Peters, a Kelly spokesperson.
Kelly’s chits make it clear that attention from Trump can be a major boon for a potential 2028 presidential candidate. But more than anything, Kelly’s rising national profile, much like that of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s last year, shows Trump has a unique ability to elevate foils. Trump has a great deal of power to pare the Democratic field.
“I’m sure that will be something we want him to do” as the 2028 presidential race gets closer, one Republican close to the White House told Playbook, though they noted that it’s still early.
But do Republicans who want to keep the White House think he’s making smart bets by elevating the Newsoms and Kellys of the opposition?
“Newsom is a perfect foil because his record is so horrendous,” said Dave Carney, the veteran New Hampshire GOP political consultant. “He will tell you whatever he thinks you want to hear.” One minute, Carney said, “he sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger — a moderate Republican. But then he gets beat up from the left, and he, you know, scurries back there.” As for Kelly? “Kelly’s a press thing,” Carney said. “He’s not a real thing.”
There’s at least one candidate who Carney does not want to see Trump elevate: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
“He’s the first candidate in the history of America that I’m aware of where his vice presidential search in not being picked has helped him,” Carney said, citing Shapiro’s fundraising ability. “There’s a lot of assets he has.”
The drawback for Democrats vying for the nomination: Trump’s ire and retribution could lead to a rolling and unpredictable flavor of the month for some time leading up to 2028. Or, as Carney put it: “The president has the capacity — demonstrated over time — that he can beat the shit out of more than one person at a time.”
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