With his wife and two young sons by his side and a group of supporters behind him, Jesse Kelly is in his element as the cameras roll.
Standing beneath a ramada at a Tucson park, Kelly announces the launch of a group called "Women for Kelly."
"Women who appreciate the fact that we have a plan to get this economy back on track," says Kelly in a booming voice. "We have a plan to lower the cost of gas, which will lower the cost of food and all the goods and services we buy every day."
Then, he launches into one of his favorite topics - talking about how awful President Obama is.
"Women in the workforce, women at home, women doing both, they've had enough of a president that is long on promises and short on delivery," Kelly says.
His voice deepens as he makes his oft-repeated vows of lower taxes for small businesses and Americans, and cultivation of more domestic oil and natural gas, solutions he believes will right the economy and even shore up the future of Social Security and Medicare.
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In his second run for Congress, the 30-year-old Kelly has presented himself as calmer and more mature, but the root belief system that drives his conservative stances remains the same - less government is always better.
"It's endless government interference, and I see it every day as a small businessman," said Kelly, a project manager in the family business, Don Kelly Construction.
Like so many in Southern Arizona, Kelly came from somewhere else. Born in Steubenville, Ohio, Kelly with his family moved to Bozeman, Mont., when he was 9 years old.
Though he doesn't talk much publicly about his formative years, he's joked about being the designated light bulb-changer growing up, thanks to being 6 feet 8 inches tall. And he's made fun of his own judgment when, as a 15-year-old in chilly Bozeman, the first car he bought was an International Scout 2 for $500.
"It could drive over buildings but didn't have a working heater," said Kelly.
After high school, he briefly went to Montana State University, but didn't graduate. In 2000, Kelly joined the Marine Corps. He led an infantry squad into combat in Iraq in 2003 and was honorably discharged in 2004.
He moved to Tucson that year and went to work for the family construction business. He and his wife, Aubrey, a former University of Arizona gymnast, plan to make Pima County their permanent home and raise their two young boys here. They attend Tucson's Alive Christian Fellowship Church.
"My faith in God is not part of who I am: It is who I am," Kelly said. "It is everything to me. I believe in this nation because I believe this nation has absolutely been blessed by God on high."
At forums and debates, Kelly introduces himself as a father and husband, combat veteran and small businessman. He tells people that he's not a politician, but is seeking public office so his sons can grow up in a free country without an overbearing government.
Those who know him say he's an honest, devoted family man. Janice Rimer of Tucson met Kelly four years ago and became a supporter because of his integrity and consistency.
"He doesn't change the way he feels depending on what kind of crowd he's with," said Rimer, who has three children and 11 grandchildren. "I don't want to hear a typical politician."
But Kelly's inconsistency on issues, namely changing his opinion about privatization and elimination of Social Security and Medicare, is exactly why critics and Democrats say voters shouldn't trust him. Critics also question if a relatively young man with no college degree and less than 10 years in Arizona is qualified to represent the district in Congress.
For this story, Kelly turned down repeated requests by the Arizona Daily Star for an interview. His spokesman, John Ellinwood, said he didn't have enough time. He takes only a few questions at press conferences.
He doesn't talk about what he learned from his tea party-backed 2010 campaign, when he lost to Giffords by 4,000 votes. This time, though, he has revamped his image.
Gone are the campaign ads with pictures of him holding weapons from his Marines Corps days. Gone are the campaign events inviting supporters to shoot fully automatic M16s with him to "Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office." Gone are the quips that he "hopes there are no liberals left" when he gets to Washington, D.C.
This campaign, Kelly has surrounded himself in TV ads with women, children and his grandpa, Hank. His campaign events have been family affairs used to tout his support from seniors and women. His recently revamped website now advocates for bipartisan solutions to protect Social Security and Medicare.
Judiciously choosing his words and hammering home a platform of lower taxes, a better economy and more jobs, Kelly comfortably won the four-way Republican primary in April.
He's largely stuck to that playbook in this general election, though he's also spent considerable time trying to persuade voters that he's dedicated to preserving Social Security and Medicare despite his past comments about privatizing and phasing out the two benefit programs.
He envisions becoming a member of a Congress the Founding Fathers envisioned.
"When they created this country, they didn't want all politicians or all one thing or another," Kelly said. "They were lawyers, they were soldiers, they were business people. They came from all walks of life. We need that kind of diversity in Congress."
Contact reporter Brady McCombs at 573-4213 or bmccombs@azstarnet.com
