Hillary Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine could be the next vice president of the United States. But what do we know about the man Clinton has chosen to run alongside? In this article, we’ll take a look at everything we know about Tim Kaine, the man who could be the next vice president and help Clinton become the next president.
When Clinton introduced Kaine has her running mate earlier this year, he was the first the first to admit that he’s a relatively unknown name within the Democratic party. However, according to Salon , that kind of self-deprecating humor largely counts towards what Kaine is known for . Often referred to as the “nice guy” in politics, Kaine is liked by members on both sides of the aisle, but he’s not exactly the darling that progressives within the party were hoping for in Hillary Clinton’s VP pick.
Never been more proud to say #ImWithHer . pic.twitter.com/ko3CilRASJ
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) October 9, 2016
Tim Kaine’s career
Much like Clinton, Tim Kaine began his career as a lawyer. He rose to prominence specializing in housing discrimination cases in Richmond, Virginia. After practicing law for 17 years, Kaine entered local politics in Richmond by winning a city council seat in 1994. Just four years later, Kaine was elected the city’s mayor. Tim Kaine quickly found himself rising through Virginian politics, becoming the state’s lieutenant governor in 2001 before becoming Virgina’s 70th governor in 2005.
According to BBC News , Tim Kaine became governor of Virgina by relying on the support of areas typically dominated by conservatives. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why Kaine has a reputation as a somewhat moderate Democrat and why he doesn’t have the seal of approval from progressives within the party.
Ahead of the 2008 presidential election, Kaine was one of the first big names in the party to throw his support behind the then relatively unknown Barack Obama, who was running against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. In fact, Kaine was on Obama’s shortlist for VP in 2008, before Joe Biden was ultimately chosen. Obama instead named Kaine chairman of the Democratic National Committee, before he was elected as the junior senator from Virgina in 2013, an office that he still holds whilst running for vice president.
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Why did Hillary Clinton pick Tim Kaine?
After securing the Democratic nomination earlier this year, Hillary Clinton was urged by many within the party to choose a clearly progressive running mate. However, instead of opting for a name like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren as her running mate, Clinton instead picked the largely more moderate Tim Kaine.
Tim Kaine’s appeal to Hillary Clinton isn’t all that much of a surprise, however. In order to win the presidency, Clinton needs to pick up the support of conservative voters that are disenfranchised with the Republican nominee, Donald Trump. In the past, Kaine has expressed support for free trade and deregulating local banks, which are typically positions taken by fiscal conservatives. At the same time, Kaine’s position as a practicing Catholic means he personally opposes abortion, but he is still ultimately committed to a woman’s right to choose.
Tim Kaine hits Trump over China remark https://t.co/UY9o7OLYdJ pic.twitter.com/XPESLfUYSO
— CNN (@CNN) October 6, 2016
It’s also worth noting that Kaine is fluent in Spanish, which will help Clinton’s Hispanic outreach. Similarly, Kaine is from Virginia, a key swing state. Placing a Virginian native on the ticket could help Clinton in picking up that state. Meanwhile, if Tim Kaine is elected vice president, the state’s Democratic governor would appoint a Democratic senator to temporarily fill Kaine’s seat, guaranteeing Clinton much needed support in the senate.
[Featured Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
