Cory Booker of New Jersey, Elizabeth Warren of MA and two Hispanic members of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet.
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Ms Clinton made clear her decision late on Friday after a months-long selection process.
In the message, Clinton says: “I’m thrilled to tell you this first: I’ve chosen Sen”.
Here are six reasons that Hillary Clinton chose Tim Kaine.
The conventional wisdom on Capitol Hill argues that as Clinton heads into the general election, having an experienced, well-liked VP pick from a swing state could offer an image of stability that contrasts starkly with her opponent Donald Trump.
Before claiming his seat in the U.S. Senate, the former Lt. Governor and Governor of Virginia was also appointed Chairman of the Democratic National Committee by President Obama in 2009 until 2011. His father-in-law is also a former Virginia governor.
Republican Party chief Reince Priebus dismissed Clinton’s choice of running mate in a scornful tweet, saying “Hillary Clinton’s choice of Tim Kaine does nothing to unify a fractured Democrat base repelled by her dishonesty & cronyism”.
Liberals have expressed wariness of Kaine for his support of putting the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement on a “fast track” to approval, which both Clinton and primary rival Bernie Sanders oppose.
“I love that about him”, she told Charlie Rose of CBS News and PBS. “He’s never lost an election. He was a world-class mayor, governor and senator and is one of the most highly respected senators I know”.
Clinton’s plans to pick Kaine, hinted at for several days leading up her Friday announcement, had been viewed as a safe choice against the Republican ticket of Trump and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
Trump, in a text to his own supporters, said Obama, Hillary and Kaine were “the ultimate insiders” and implored voters to not “let Obama have a 3rd term”.
“Do you want a “you’re fired” president or a “you’re hired” president?” Her short list included Massachusetts Sen.
His resume is far more fulsome than when he was vetted as a potential running mate for Obama in 2008. Can’t wait to hit the trail tomorrow in Miami! Her campaign is trying to rally excitement around the Democratic ticket heading into the party’s convention next week in Philadelphia, aides said, in addition to blunting Trump’s post-convention momentum.
Kaine’s midwestern roots also run strong: Born in Minnesota, Kaine is the son of a welder who was raised in Kansas and graduated from the University of Missouri. “Drawing a blank. Congrats to a good man and a good friend”, Flake said.
At a joint campaign appearance last week in Virginia, which served as a final audition, Clinton stood side-by-side Kaine and beamed as he spoke of her virtues in Spanish. Virginia’s Democratic governor, Terry McAuliffe, a close Clinton friend and ally, will name a replacement for Kaine if he and Clinton win the White House.
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Kaine serves as a member of the Armed Services Committee, the Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, and the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development.
