Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia emerged as a leading contender after a methodical search, several Democrats close to the campaign say, receiving the stamp of approval from President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
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Clinton notifed supporters of her selection in a text message. Though he opposed same-sex marriage as governor and said when pressed on the issue in 2012 that he thinks “labels get in the way of the issue”, he has supported same-sex marriage since 2013. He actually launched a campaign for president in 2006 but ended his bid a year later when he endorsed Clinton in her 2008 campaign and became her campaign co-chair.
Asked whether Kaine was boring, Clinton said, “I love that about him”.
Hillary Clinton is widely expected to reveal her choice for running mate in the coming days, as she makes a two-day swing through the crucial general election battleground state of Florida.
Hillary Clinton, presumptive 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, with Senator Tim Kaine in Annandale, Virginia on July 14.
“Ultimately, this is a ticket that represents one thing: four more years like the last eight, just with more corruption and scandal”, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement Friday night. According to multiple reports, an announcement about Clinton’s decision could come as early as Friday afternoon. It reflected a strategic choice by Clinton: To go with a running mate who amplifies her argument that experience in government – not sizzle – is the best path to keeping the White House in Democratic hands. He learned Spanish during a mission trip to Honduras while in law school, an experience he still references on the campaign trail. He is the first Virginian to serve on a major party ticket since 1840.
The announcement has been described as perfectly timed to coincide with the end of rival Donald Trump’s Republican National Convention, and aims to now train the spotlight onto Clinton’s own convention scheduled for next week in Philadelphia.
“We all know we need a bridge builder, not a trash talker”, Kaine said last week as he introduced Clinton at the Virginia rally.
Clinton could also be announcing her pick for Vice President at the Tampa rally.
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“She’s not going to be waffling at the 11th hour like (Donald) Trump”, one Democrat close to the process said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy surrounding the selection. That approach might make it hard for the Trump campaign to have success “getting under Tim Kaine’s skin”, former Virginia state Sen. But he’s a longtime supporter of Planned Parenthood and legal abortion, and followed through on a campaign promise to continue executions as Virginia governor.
“He’s a man of relentless optimism who believes no problem is unsolvable if you’re willing to put in the work”, Clinton added.
In the meantime, the Virginia political world is in a holding pattern, watching to see if Clinton will elevate Kaine to be the party’s vice presidential nominee.
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Ron Halber, the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, said that it would be “a foolish mistake” to interpret Kaine’s move as being in any way unsupportive of Israel.
