They fell out so bitterly that he once petitioned a judge to have her thrown in jail.
So it’s something of a surprise that potential Democrat VP pick Mark Kelly, 60, has secured an unlikely endorsement – from his ex-wife.
Amelia Babis Kelly, 56, is so complementary about the Arizona Senator that she thinks he would make a much better Presidential candidate than Kamala Harris, she told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
She and Kelly divorced in 2004 but that was just the start of decade-long squabble over child custody arrangements that became increasingly toxic.
Kelly’s ex-wife Amelia Babis Kelly, 56, told DailyMail.com that she is fully behind his ex-husband Mark Kelly’s potential vice-presidential nomination
Kelly, pictured with his ex-Congresswoman wife Gabby Giffords and Kamala Harris, has come under the spotlight as he is reportedly on the shortlist to be Harris’ VP pick
Relations sunk so low that in 2010 Kelly petitioned a Texas court to jail the mother of his two daughters for six months for failing to notify him that she was moving home.
The pair have reconciled since then, however, and this week Amelia told DailyMail.com that her ex-husband, a celebrated former Navy combat pilot and astronaut, would make an excellent Vice President.
‘We worked out a legal matter and that’s fine. I would support his decision to run,’ Amelia said in an exclusive interview.
Kelly, who wed former U.S. Rep Gabby Giffords in 2007, is considered one of the leading contenders to be named Kamala Harris’ running mate, along with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
Other names in the frame are Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Democrat strategists believe Kelly’s distinguished military career would lend gravitas to Harris’ campaign and appeal to voters in the key battleground state of Arizona, where the Gulf War veteran was elected to the Senate in a 2020 special election.
‘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.
Despite a bitter divorce from her ex-husband, Amelia said she supports Mark Kelly’s political aspirations as he could ‘bring an end to all the hatred and ugliness’ in Washington
Before entering politics, Kelly had a distinguished career as a US Navy fighter pilot and then as a NASA astronaut
‘Personally, I would prefer a ticket without Kamala on it. I’d pick Mark over her. I don’t see what use she was to Joe Biden and I’m not sure she would be very useful as President.
‘I’m not a woman of color, but I just think there should be other reasons to be excited about a potential presidential candidate than their gender and their race.
‘Mark has friends on both sides of the aisle and I think he’s someone who can bridge the two sides and bring an end to all the hatred and ugliness. He would be a good Vice President or President.’
Kelly and Amelia wed in 1989 and have two grown-up daughters, Claire, 27, and Claudia, 29.
He described their divorce as ‘amicable’ in ‘Gabby’, the book he co-wrote with Giffords, who famously survived a gunshot to the head during a 2011 meet-and-greet with constituents.
Court records in Galveston County, Texas, where the ex-couple shared a marital home, suggest the split was far more rancorous.
Kelly first petitioned to end their marriage in January 2001 but his action was dismissed five months later for ‘want of prosecution.’
Amelia said her bitter legal history with Mark Kelly is a thing of the past, but while they may meet for their family, they are not ‘besties and hanging out and chit chatting all the time’
It was Amelia’s turn to file in July 2004, when she was granted a temporary restraining order barring Kelly from threatening her or their two daughters with ‘imminent bodily harm’ or using ‘vulgar, profane, obscene or indecent language’ in their communications.
The divorce was finalized three months later after an uncontested hearing but the case dragged on for the next decade as the two parties clashed over shared custody arrangements.
In November 2010 Kelly demanded drastic action from the court when his ex-wife moved to a new house several miles outside of the girls’ school district, apparently failing to give him the required 60 days’ notice.
‘Movant requests that Respondent be confined in the county jail for 179 days or until Respondent complies with the order of the Court,’ his lawyer wrote to Judge Anne Darring.
‘Movant requests that Respondent be placed on community supervision for ten years on release from jail or suspension of commitment.’
Kelly, who met Giffords in 2003 but was not romantically linked to her until his first marriage was over, appears to have dropped his demand.
By January 2014, the ex-couple had resolved their legal issues, the docket suggests.
Details of the divorce went unreported until 2020 when Kelly battled Republican Martha McSally for the late John McCain’s vacant Senate seat.
Kelly’s divorce from his ex-wife even saw him file to have her thrown in jail as their split turned sour back in November 2010
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (left) and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (right) are said to be placed alongside Kelly in Harris’ VP shortlist
When The Washington Free Beacon published several of the documents, Kelly’s campaign manager Jen Cox dismissed their report as a ‘desperate smear attempt’.
The paperwork did not level any actual allegations of abuse against Kelly and his ex-wife never applied for a permanent restraining order.
But in January 2022 the divorce was revisited yet again when they filed a joint motion to have the records sealed, which the judge agreed to.
‘We’re not like besties and hanging out and chit chatting all the time. But we do come together when it comes to our granddaughter and our kids,’ Amelia told DailyMail.com.
A registered Republican since 2004, Amelia declined to say whether she would cast her vote for a Harris-Kelly ticket.
But the prospect of her ex-husband getting involved would certainly make it more palatable, she said.
‘Mark is a great dad. People tend to jump to the conclusion that you’re going to trash a person just because you’re divorced.
‘But just because your marriage didn’t happen to work out doesn’t mean that either person is a bad person,’ Amelia added.
‘I love my kids, my family and our country. I hope the best person wins and that people can get behind whoever wins and support them. Nothing gets done when people are arguing.’
