Tim Kaine received praise for his wide-ranging experience, even as many delegates acknowledged that he would not generate the level of enthusiasm or party unity as a progressive or first-ever Latino pick.
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Kaine was vetted for the job in 2008 but was a runner-up to then-Sen.
Widely seen as a safe choice in a brutal election race – Kaine himself jokes that he is “boring” – the senator emerged as frontrunner in the veepstakes because he ticks so many boxes.
Hillary Clinton on Friday tapped Tim Kaine, a popular Spanish-speaking senator from the swing state of Virginia, to be her running mate in the White House showdown against Donald Trump. Kaine was also the Chairman of the Democratic National Convention from 2009 to 2011.
Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly was chairman of Fairfax County at the time of the Virginia Tech shooting, the county where the gunman and several of the victims were from. One aide speculated Kaine would be effective in reaching out to congressional Republicans if he becomes vice president, a role that Vice President Joe Biden has played for Obama.
Instead of wealth or prestige, supporters and colleagues said the former missionary is a man motivated by deep convictions and his Roman Catholic faith.
Clinton announced the choice to her supporters by text message Friday evening: “I’m thrilled to tell you this first: I’ve chosen Sen”.
Tennessee Democratic Party chair Mary Mancini hailed the selection in a statement, calling the 58-year-old former mayor and governor an experienced, proven leader.
Aside from Cohen, other state Democrats took to social media and other ways praise the pick.
If she chooses Kaine, Clinton will bypass vice-presidential candidates who would have generated excitement among liberal and Hispanic activists, including progressive favorite U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and two Hispanic Cabinet members, Julian Castro and Thomas Perez.
Since 2012, Kaine has served as Virginia’s representative, alongside Warner, in the United States Senate.
“The hesitation usually came from the rest of us (at the governor’s office): concentrate on the ones we can get done and let’s not fight the fights we can’t win and that took all that off the table”, Shepard said. Critics of the deal, including Trump and Sanders, say it would be unfair to USA workers and kill jobs. When I was talking to people about this decision, I couldn’t find anyone – Democrat or Republican – who had a bad thing to say about him. Kaine asked in Annandale, Virginia, as Clinton nodded. Why do we need to do nothing? “Some president that will lead that charge”.
Her public push for comprehensive gun control legislation, including closing the gun show loophole, has demonstrated how the politics of guns has changed in recent years.
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That’s a message we will hear next week at the start of the Democratic National Convention. Kaine is a moderate who says he has moral objections to abortion but does not believe government should limit the procedure. Kaine was the only vice presidential candidate to have a private family lunch during the vetting process, the official said. “He really handled a brutally hard situation with dexterity and flexibility and great honesty, which are his hallmarks, and I think that’s a great story to tell”.
