Sen. Mark Kelly sets fundraising record after 'illegal orders' furor

• Jacob Peters, a Kelly campaign spokesperson, sidestepped the scale of its fundraising and instead focused on some of the themes Kelly has hammered since Trump reentered the White House.
• His campaign, always among the most prolific in Congress, raised more money in the final three months of the year than it did in the first nine months.
• While the uproar over the video has proven a boon to the campaigns of Kelly and other Democrats, he faces Hegseth’s censure and the move to demote him, which would lower his Navy pension.

Sen. Mark Kelly’s campaign raised more than $12.5 million in the final months of 2025 after the “illegal orders” video controversy with President Donald Trump effectively made the Arizona Democrat the center of opposition to the administration.

Kelly may have set a quarterly fundraising record for senators not facing reelection during an off-year period, and he spread $1 million of his campaign’s cash to other Democratic candidates in Arizona and across the country during the same time. Kelly’s current term doesn’t expire until after the 2028 elections.

The flood of money reflects both the significance of his standoff with Trump and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, as well as Kelly’s ability to harness the national outrage as he says he is considering a run for the Oval Office in 2028.

Last year, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, raised $11.6 million at the start of 2025, when the former presidential candidate drew crowds across the country — including in Arizona — for a tour with U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, signaling liberal resistance to Trump.

Jacob Peters, a Kelly campaign spokesperson, sidestepped the scale of its fundraising and instead focused on some of the themes Kelly has hammered since Trump reentered the White House.

“As Mark fights every day to lower costs, keep Arizonans safe, and defend their constitutional rights, he is boosted by the massive grassroots support that has shown up to have his back,” Peters said in a statement.

“Five, ten, twenty bucks at a time, these patriots are joining his effort to elect Democrats, hold this administration accountable, and create a better future for Arizona and the country that puts hardworking people ahead of billionaires.”

His campaign, always among the most prolific in Congress, raised more money in the final three months of the year than it did in the first nine months.

The quarterly haul, that ended with $14.9 million in cash, too, will likely increase speculation that Kelly could mount a presidential run in 2028. In one measure of Kelly’s fundraising standing, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, who is also mentioned as a presidential possibility, raised $817,000 for the quarter.

The controversy over a video he made with five other Democrats telling military personnel they must “refuse illegal orders” undoubtedly drove the fundraising frenzy.

From Oct. 1 through Nov. 17 — the day before the video came out and roughly the midpoint of the three-month quarter — Kelly’s campaign raised $1 million from individual donors.

From Nov. 18 through the end of that month, the campaign took in another $2.2 million. In December, individuals sent in another $3.3 million.

There was a modest uptick in donor refunds after the video for Kelly’s campaign. Before the video, the campaign refunded $2,700. Afterward, it gave back $53,000.

During the final days of 2025, the Kelly campaign gave the Democrats’ national House and Senate committees $100,000 each. It gave the Democratic National Committee and the Arizona Democratic Party $25,000 each.

The committee sent $5,000 each to 25 state party committees across the country, from Maine to Alaska. It also made contributions to individual Democratic campaigns across the country, from Sen. Jon Ossoff’s reelection battle in Georgia to JoAnna Mendoza’s bid to unseat Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Arizona, in the Tucson area.

While the uproar over the video has proven a financial boon to the campaigns of Kelly and other Democrats, he still faces Hegseth’s censure and the move to demote him, which would lower his Navy pension.

Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot, has sued to halt the disciplinary action. There is a hearing in that case next week that could indicate whether the federal judge sees the matter as the broad First Amendment case Kelly and his supporters have made it.

The government has said Kelly has failed to appeal the actions through the Pentagon’s administrative process and maintains that Kelly undermined Hegseth’s authority with the message to troops.

Kelly points out the video only states longstanding military policy.