凯利2月16日接受英国广播公司（BBC）采访时发表上述言论，当时他仍深陷与特朗普政府的法律和政治斗争中。
这位退役海军上尉、前宇航员在采访中明确表示，他尚未决定是否启动竞选活动，但确认该想法正在考虑之中。
“一直有人跟我谈论这件事，但我们2026年有一场选举，我现在非常担心。我们必须先度过那关。我会做出决定。”
凯利强调，任何选择都将涉及与妻子加布里埃尔·吉福兹（Gabrielle Giffords）、他们的女儿以及同为前宇航员的同卵双胞胎兄弟的讨论。
“你知道，和我的妻子加比（Gabby）、我的两个女儿以及我的兄弟（我有一个同为宇航员的双胞胎兄弟）一起，想想这对他会有什么影响。我们是同卵双胞胎，”他说。
“所以，我会认真考虑这件事，因为我们现在正处于一些极具挑战性的时期，”凯利补充道。
凯利发表上述言论之际，正值他与政府对峙期间出现两大重大进展。
据福克斯新闻数字频道此前报道，2月12日，联邦法官阻止五角大楼因一段关于”非法命令”的争议视频而降级。
一个大陪审团拒绝起诉他和其他五名民主党议员煽动叛乱罪。
争议源于凯利与其他民主党议员录制的一段90秒视频，视频提醒美国军人他们没有义务服从”非法”命令。
“我们的法律很明确，”凯利在视频中说，”你可以拒绝非法命令。”
总统唐纳德·特朗普称这段视频是”煽动叛乱行为”，并暗示应逮捕这些议员。
司法部寻求起诉，但大陪审团拒绝提起指控。
战争部长彼得·黑格塞斯（Pete Hegseth）也已启动对凯利的退休级别认定程序，可能降低其退休海军上尉的军衔并削减其退休金。
凯利提起诉讼，称这一行动是对受保护言论的违宪报复。
美国地区法官理查德·利昂（Richard Leon）同意暂时阻止降级，他写道，政府可能侵犯了凯利的第一修正案权利，并警告不要”缩小退休军人的第一修正案自由”。黑格塞斯誓言将提出上诉。
“这将立即被上诉，”黑格塞斯在帖子中写道，”叛乱就是叛乱，’上尉’。”
在2月17日接受BBC采访时，凯利还回顾了自己的职业生涯。
“我不知道自己是否是这份工作的最佳人选。我和（其他100名参议员中的）大多数人都很不一样，”他说。
“我是为数不多的工程师之一。我是美国参议院中唯一拥有工程学硕士学位的人。我有相当罕见的战斗经验，”凯利解释道。
“我在军队服役了25年。我不是从某个州议会开始的。我不认为自己是政客。我是一名海军飞行员，事实上我非常幸运，有机会驾驶这艘不可思议的宇宙飞船四次往返。”
凯利对可能参加白宫竞选也表现出谦逊的态度。
“我从没想过自己会走到这一步。所以我显然会考虑这件事。这是一个严肃的决定。我还没有做出决定，”他补充道。
福克斯新闻数字频道已联系凯利办公室请求置评。
艾玛·布西（Emma Bussey）是福克斯新闻数字频道的突发新闻记者。加入福克斯之前，她曾在《每日电讯报》工作，参与美国夜间团队报道，涵盖外交、政治、新闻、体育和文化等多个领域。
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., has confirmed he will “seriously consider” a run for president in 2028, opening the door to a potential White House bid.
Kelly’s comments to the BBC Feb. 16 came as he remains locked in a legal and political battle with the Trump administration.
In an interview, the retired Navy captain and former astronaut made clear he has not yet decided whether to launch a campaign but confirmed the idea is under consideration.
“I have people talk to me about it all the time, but we have an election in 2026 that I’m really worried about. We’ve got to get through that first. I will make a decision.”
Kelly emphasized that any choice would involve discussions with his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, their daughters and his identical twin brother, also a former astronaut.
“You know, with my wife, Gabby, with my two daughters, and my brother, I have a twin [brother who was also an astronaut]. Think about for a second how this would affect him. We’re identical twins,” he said.
“So you know, I’ll seriously consider this, because we are in some seriously challenging times right now,” Kelly added.
Kelly’s comments came within days of two major developments in his standoff with the administration.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, a federal judge blocked the Pentagon from demoting him Feb. 12 over a controversial video about “illegal orders.”
A grand jury declined to indict him and five other Democratic lawmakers on seditious conspiracy charges.
The dispute is over a 90-second video Kelly recorded with fellow Democratic lawmakers reminding U.S. service members that they are not obligated to follow “illegal” commands.
“Our laws are clear,” Kelly said in the clip. “You can refuse illegal orders.”
President Donald Trump had labeled the video “seditious behavior” and suggested the lawmakers be arrested.
The Justice Department sought indictments, but a grand jury refused to bring charges.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth had also moved to initiate retirement-grade determination proceedings against Kelly, potentially reducing his rank as a retired Navy captain and cutting his retirement pay.
Kelly sued, arguing the action was unconstitutional retaliation for protected speech.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon agreed to temporarily block the demotion, writing that the administration had likely violated Kelly’s First Amendment rights and warning against “shrinking the First Amendment liberties of retired service members.” Hegseth has vowed to appeal.
“This will be immediately appealed,” Hesgeth wrote in the post. “Sedition is sedition, ‘Captain.’”
In the Feb. 17 interview with the BBC, Kelly also reflected on his career.
“I don’t know if I would be the best person in this job. I am a lot different than [most of these other 100 senators] there are,” he said.
“I’m one of the very few engineers. I’m the only person with a graduate degree in engineering in the United States Senate. I’ve got combat experience that’s kind of rare,” Kelly explained.
“I spent 25 years in the military. I didn’t start out in some state legislature somewhere. I don’t think of myself as a politician. I’m a Navy pilot who was so fortunate and so lucky, in fact, that I had the opportunity to [fly this incredible spaceship], you know, four times and back.”
Kelly also struck a note of humility about a possible White House run.
“I never thought I’d find myself here. So I will obviously think about this. It’s a serious decision. I just haven’t made it yet,” he added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Kelly’s office for comment.
Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.
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