Amelia Babis Kelly, the ex-wife of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), spoke glowingly about her ex-husband’s vice presidential ambitions—despite going through a messy divorce that included threats of restraining orders and jail time. Kelly has not spoken extensively about his ex-wife. In Gabby, an autobiography he co-authored with his current wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, he described the divorce as “amicable.” However, during his initial Senate run in 2020, the Washington Free Beacon reported on court documents showing the former astronaut had a much more fraught relationship. According to the filings, Kelly petitioned the court to jail Amelia for 179 days for contempt after she allegedly violated a custody agreement. Kelly dropped the petition one day before the hearing on it was scheduled. Amelia has consistently supported her ex-husband’s political career, telling the Free Beacon the two “continue to have a relationship based on family and friends even today being divorced for 15 years.” Almost four years later, Amelia told the Daily Mail she would support his run for vice president, heaping praise on her ex-husband for having friends on both sides of the aisle. “I think Mark leaning a little bit more towards the right side of left is something that Kamala lacks. He brings military expertise whereas her background is in the legal field. Perhaps they could work as a team,” Amelia said.
