With Democrats ready to hold their national convention in Philadelphia next week, presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton turned to Tim Kaine to be her running mate.
The Clinton campaign team sent out a text message to supporters on Friday night making the announcement.
Currently serving as a U.S. senator from Virginia, Kaine had been on Barack Obama’s shortlist to be his vice presidential candidate in 2008 but he lost out to Joe Biden.
An attorney who attended Harvard Law, Kaine has been rising up the ranks in Virginia for more than two decades. First elected to the Richmond City Council in 1994, Kaine moved up to become mayor in 1998 before seeking statewide office in 2002 when he was elected lieutenant governor under current Senate colleague Mark Warner who had also garnered buzz earlier this election cycle as a possible running mate for Clinton.
In a closely watched contest in 2005, Kaine was elected governor of Virginia beating then state Attorney General Jerry Kilgore. Kaine moved up the national ladder as well, becoming chairman of the Democratic National Committee which he led from 2009-2011. In 2012, Kaine won an open Senate seat, fending off Republican George Allen who had held that seat before losing in 2006.
Kaine beat out a host of other Democrats who had been on Clinton’s shortlist including Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and U.S. Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
While Virginia is a swing state, it has gone blue in recent elections. Obama carried the Old Dominion in 2008 and 2012. Clinton and her team hope Kaine will help her in Virginia and neighboring North Carolina which is also a swing state.
Clinton and Kaine are scheduled to campaign in Florida on Saturday before next week’s convention. The Democratic candidate was in Miami on Friday night.
Comments
Who cares?
WHY is it Jerry D is not
Great choice!
You're right Bob. "Great
The begining of the end of
Hillary and class do not
Actually, they've been faced
Show proof and facts that
I feel sorry for him, getting
I feel sorry for ANY man