Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly said Wednesday that he stands by his endorsement of Joe Biden despite growing scrutiny into a sexual assault allegation against Biden by Tara Reade, a former staffer in his Senate office.
"I think [Biden] has the right experience and has the leadership ability, what our country needs right now," Kelly, who is running for the Senate, said during a radio interview on KTAR News. "So I'm gonna vote for him in November."
Kelly said that while Biden's accuser should have the opportunity to make her case and the allegation should be looked into, he remains committed to voting for Biden in November.
"I strongly believe that everybody deserves to be heard and needs to be heard and that these allegations should be looked into," Kelly said. "You know, these are often very complicated issues and I think it's really important that the person who's making these allegations has an opportunity to state the case and then have it looked into."
Kelly went on to say that he has known Biden "for a long time" and he has a "strong sense of his character."
Kelly is the latest Biden supporter to address the allegation before the candidate, who still has not answered any questions on the claim by Reade. Biden's campaign has flatly denied that the incident happened and has directed his supporters to say that it "did not happen."
Kelly officially endorsed Biden on March 2 ahead of Arizona's Democratic primary, which was carried by Biden.
Joe Biden understands the challenges Arizonans face and knows what it’s like to be knocked down, get back up, and keep serving others. We need a president who will unite us and find common ground to get things done. That’s why I’ll be voting for Joe Biden.
— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) March 2, 2020