Ms Clinton called the Virginia politician shortly after 7.30pm last night to inform him that she had picked him to be her running mate, before she placed a call to president Barack Obama to inform him of her decision.
Advertisement
Hillary Clinton will introduce her running mate Friday, seeking to snatch attention from newly crowned Republican nominee Donald Trump just hours after he closed out his convention with a fiery and foreboding turn at the podium.
Hillary Clinton has chosen Virginia Sen.
A graduate of the prestigious Harvard Law School, Kaine has always been near the top of most lists of Democratic stars; he was mentioned as a running mate for Barack Obama in 2008.
Clinton is scheduled to take part in an event at Florida International University in Miami Saturday starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT.
Before his election to the U.S. Senate in 2012, Kaine was chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
In recent days, Kaine had emerged as the favorite – albeit safe – pick for Clinton, over other finalists such as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Labor Secretary Tom Perez and New Jersey Sen.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton pauses while speaking at a rally at the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 19, 2016.
Clinton made no mention of her impending pick during a somber meeting with community leaders and family members affected by the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Kaine got the Democratic party’s nomination after no other Democrats filed to run. After winning his Senate seat in 2012, he became the first US senator to deliver a speech from the Senate floor in Spanish.
Importantly, and consistent with Clinton’s campaign stance, Kaine a year ago urged Obama to create a no-fly zone in Syria, correctly declaring that the President’s reluctance to counter Bashar Assad’s aggression – after laying down a red line for action – “will go down as one of the big mistakes that we’ve made, equivalent to the decision not to engage in humanitarian activity in Rwanda in the 1990s”. In a political era where loyalty to ideological orthodoxy is often prized over compromise, Kaine has also worked across the aisles – according to GovTrack, 44% of Kaine’s bills and resolutions in 2015 had a Republican cosponsor. Kaine was born in Saint Paul, Minn., and earned a law degree from Harvard Law School. Clinton’s decision to draft the mild-mannered Kaine is meant to help her consolidate support among white voters and bring a workmanlike partner with her into the White House.
“I’m glad the waiting game is almost over”, Kaine said Thursday, giving away no hints about whether he is Clinton’s choice for the spot on her ticket.
Kaine started his political career in Richmond. Their eldest son, Nat, is serving as a Marine.
“Our presidential ticket can not beat the billionaire bigot by simply being not Donald Trump”, said Charles Chamberlain, executive director of the liberal advocacy group Democracy for America, in a statement.
The Clinton campaign was considering at least two options for the VP rollout.
His wife, Anne Holton, is the daughter of a former Virginia governor, a former state judge and, currently, the state’s Education Secretary.
Republicans were quick to condemn Clinton’s choice, claiming that Kaine would not appeal to grassroots liberal voters. Kaine could perhaps nudge it even further into Clinton’s corner.
Advertisement
She pointed out that Mr Kaine had never lost an election and praised him as a “world-class mayor, governor and senator”.
