Is Tim Kaine the Right Running Mate for Hillary Clinton?
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton today named Tim Kaine, a prominent senator from Virginia, as her running mate for the November election.
The announcement was made via text message to her supporters. Mrs. Clinton’s choice comes with the conviction that the Virginia senator will lift the Democratic ticket in a race against Mr. Trump.
Mrs. Clinton believed Tim Kaine who speaks fluent Spanish, has the qualifications and background for the Democratic ticket to be on top in the incoming presidential poll.
In her twitter account, Hillary Clinton said, “I’m thrilled to announce my running mate, @TimKaine, a man who’s devoted his life to fighting for others.”
Mrs. Clinton is set to formally introduce Mr. Kaine as her running mate during a campaign in Miami, Florida today.
There Were Other choices
Prior to her announcement that Senator Kaine will be her running mate, Clinton had entertained other possible politicians.
The New York Times report says Mrs. Clinton considered Thomas E. Perez, the secretary of labor, who would have been the first Hispanic on a major party ticket. Mrs. Clinton also considered Senator Cory Booker, of New Jersey, who would have been the first African-American to seek the vice presidency.
Who is Tim Kaine?
Tim Kaine was born in Minnesota and grew up in Kansas. Mr. Kaine is a devoted Roman Catholic who attended a Jesuit boarding school. He became fluent with the Spanish language when he volunteered as a Catholic missionary in Honduras.
As a lawyer, Mr. Kaine became prominent for his works on fair housing and civil rights issues. His political career started when he was elected to the City Council in Richmond, Va., in 1994, then proceeded to climb the ranks of elected office in the state.
In 1998, Mr. Kaine became the city mayor and the state’s lieutenant governor in 2002.
In addition, Mr. Kaine was an early endorser of Senator Barack Obama’s presidential bid in the 2008 race against Mrs. Clinton.
According to NPR, Mr. Kaine also made history for delivering a nearly 13-minute speech endorsing immigration reform in Spanish, marking the “first time a senator has delivered a full speech on the floor of the Senate in a language other than English.”
