Astronaut From West Orange Wins Arizona Senate Election: AP

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Outer space wasn’t the final frontier for West Orange native Mark Kelly, it seems.

On Tuesday, the Associated Press said that Kelly – a former astronaut who grew up in New Jersey – was projected as the winner in the U.S. Senate race in Arizona.

Kelly, a Democrat, overcame his Republican opponent and incumbent Martha McSally, according to early results, which still need to be certified. READ MORE: Mark Kelly Projected Winner Over Martha McSally In AZ Senate Race

Kelly, a local hero in West Orange who has a school named in his honor, recently entered the history books alongside his identical twin, Scott Kelly, as the only such pair to travel to space.

After growing up in New Jersey, Kelly moved to Tucson, Arizona with his wife, former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011. Together, the pair have since become strong advocates for "commonsense" gun control laws, which he made a pillar of his political platform.

• See related article: Famed Astronaut From West Orange Running For Senate In Arizona
• See related article: West Orange School Gets Visit From Mark Kelly, Gabby Giffords

According to his campaign website, as a naval aviator, Kelly made two deployments to the First Gulf War on the aircraft carrier the U.S.S. Midway and flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. He's a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, has logged more than 5,000 flight hours, and has made more than 375 carrier landings.

Kelly has earned awards such as the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit and two Distinguished Flying Crosses. He was selected as an astronaut in 1996, and flew his first of four missions into space in 2001 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, the same space shuttle he commanded on its final flight in May 2011.

After the early election results were released and reports called the race in Kelly’s favor, the West Orange Public School District offered him a hearty congratulations on social media.

State Assemblyman John McKeon also offered Kelly a round of applause.

"You've made your hometown proud," wrote McKeon, who represents towns in the 27th district that include West Orange.

"The people of Arizona are lucky they will have you fighting on their behalf in Washington," McKeon added.

And on Wednesday evening, West Orange Mayor Robert Parisi also extended a big thumbs-up to Kelly.

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