{Democratic presidential hopeful calls Senator Tim Kaine “a man who has devoted his life to fighting for others”.}<\/p>\n
Hillary Clinton named Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate on Friday, adding a centrist former governor of a crucial battleground state to the Democratic ticket.<\/p>\n
In a text message to supporters, the presumptive Democratic nominee said, “I’m thrilled to tell you this first: I’ve chosen Sen. Tim Kaine as my running mate”.<\/p>\n
On Twitter a few seconds later, Clinton described Kaine as “a man who’s devoted his life to fighting for others”.<\/p>\n
I’m thrilled to announce my running mate, @TimKaine, a man who’s devoted his life to fighting for others. -H pic.twitter.com\/lTVyfztE5Z<\/p>\n
\u2014 Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 23, 2016
\nShe called him “a relentless optimist who believes no problem is unsolvable if you put in the work to solve it”.<\/p>\n
Clinton’s pick came a day after her opponent, Donald Trump, closed out the Republican Party’s convention with a fiery address accusing her of “terrible, terrible crimes”.<\/p>\n
‘World-class senator’<\/p>\n
Kaine, 58, had long been a favourite for Clinton’s ticket. Fluent in Spanish and active in the Senate on foreign relations and military affairs, he built a reputation for working across the aisle as Virginia’s governor and as mayor of Richmond.<\/p>\n
In a recent interview with CBS News, Clinton noted that Kaine has never lost an election during his lengthy political career and praised him as a “world-class mayor, governor and senator”.<\/p>\n
A favourite of Barack Obama since his early 2008 endorsement, the president told Clinton’s campaign he believed Kaine would be a strong choice during the selection process, according to a Democratic familiar with the search who was not authorised to discuss it publicly.<\/p>\n
Those views are not shared by some liberals in the Democratic Party, who dislike his support of free trade and Wall Street.<\/p>\n
They pushed Clinton to pick Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren or Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, intensifying their criticism of Kaine late this week as his selection appeared imminent.<\/p>\n
Clinton’s campaign largely declined to comment on the search process, trying to keep the details – even the names of the finalists – under wraps to try to maximise the impact of their announcement.<\/p>\n
She made no mention of her impending pick during a somber meeting on Friday with community leaders and family members affected by the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando and a later campaign rally in Tampa.<\/p>\n
She is expected to campaign with Kaine on Saturday morning at an event in Miami.<\/p>\n
Centrist candidate<\/p>\n
Before entering politics, Kaine was an attorney who specialised in civil rights and fair housing. He learned Spanish during a mission trip to Honduras while in law school, an experience he still references on the campaign trail.<\/p>\n
During his political career, he’s demonstrated an ability to woo voters across party lines, winning his 2006 gubernatorial race with support in both Democratic strongholds and traditionally Republican strongholds.<\/p>\n
His wife, Anne Holton, is the daughter of a former Virginia governor, a former state judge and, currently, the state’s Education Secretary. The couple has three children.<\/p>\n
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 Governor Mike Pence.<\/p>\n
Some Democrats believe Trump’s selection of Pence, a conservative white man from a largely Republican state, freed Clinton from pressure to add another woman or minority to her ticket.<\/p>\n
Her short list included Warren, two Latino cabinet secretaries and New Jersey Governor Cory Booker, one of two black US senators.<\/p>\n
Democrats argue that Kaine could help her woo moderate and even some Republican voters turned off by Trump’s provocative rhetoric, which was at the centre of his 75-minute acceptance speech on Thursday night.<\/p>\n
Kaine got some practice challenging Trump’s message when he campaigned with Clinton last week in northern Virginia, where he spoke briefly in Spanish and offered a strident assault on Trump’s White House credentials.<\/p>\n
“Do you want a ‘you’re fired’ president or a ‘you’re hired’ president?” Kaine asked in Annandale, Virginia, as Clinton nodded. “Do you want a trash-talking president or a bridge-building president?”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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