Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly named to TIME Magazine list of 100 most influential people

PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly was named to TIME magazine’s annual TIME100 list of the world’s most influential people, the publication announced Wednesday.

Kelly, a former NASA pilot and retired Navy captain, was recognized in the Leaders category for his emergence as a prominent Democratic antagonist of the Trump administration.

TIME cited Kelly’s controversial appearance in a video reminding U.S. troops they are not required to follow illegal orders. President Donald Trump called Kelly’s words “seditious” and “punishable by death.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launched a Pentagon review aimed at stripping Kelly of his military rank and pension. Kelly sued the Pentagon, boosting his political profile in the process, which earned him a slot on TIME’s list.

“Kelly was already on the short list for vice president in 2024; now Democrats openly discuss his potential in 2028, if not as a presidential contender, perhaps as a future secretary of defense,” TIME reporter Nik Popli wrote in the magazine’s profile.

Other honorees on this year’s list include Pope Leo XIV, President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Arizona’s other TIME100 connections

Also on the 2026 TIME100, United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta was named to the Pioneers category, with a tribute written by Gloria Steinem.

Huerta, 96, has deep ties to Arizona’s farmworker organizing history. She made national headlines in March when she publicly accused her late colleague Cesar Chavez of sexual assault.

“I have encouraged people to always use their voice … My silence ends here,” Huerta told the New York Times, featured in the Time100 list. “The truth about Chavez reminds us to look honestly at the behavior of everyone, including our leaders and to lend support to those who may be hurt by misused power.”

In 2024, Arizona State University President Michael Crow was named to the TIME100 Climate list, marking the first university president to appear on the publication’s roster of leaders driving climate action.

Crow was honored under the Leaders category for ASU’s sustainability initiatives, including requiring a three-credit sustainability course for all students and launching programs in circular plastics recycling and coral research.

Last year, U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego and Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk were recognized as emerging leaders on the 2025 Time100 Next list.

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