Who is Tim Kaine? Fast Facts about Clinton's VP Pick

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U.S. Senator Tim Kaine is Hillary Clinton’s choice for running mate. Kaine is the former governor of the state of Virginia, and is a member of the Democratic Party.

Here are some of the most important facts to know about him:

  • Kaine was the first governor outside Illinois to endorse then-Senator Obama in 2007, when Obama was running for president the first time. Kaine had been considered for Obama's vice president before being passed over for Joe Biden. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

  • Kaine has served as mayor, governor, and U.S. senator. He is one
    of only 30 people in American history to have done this. (Senator Tim Kaine).

  • Vir

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    ginia, the state where Kaine has spent most of his political career, is considered a swing state in 2016. This means that Virginia could be one of the states that helps sway the election one way or the other, depending on who wins it.

  • Kaine delivered the first speech entirely in Spanish on the Senate floor in 2013. The speech was about immigration reform. Kaine is fluent in Spanish because he spent a year doing missionary work in Honduras before he went to law school at Harvard University. (CNN)

  • While Kaine is a Catholic and personally does not agree with abortion, he supports a woman’s right to privacy and choice. (CNN)

  • Kaine is seen as very similar to Clinton’s positions on most of the big issues in the election. The New York Times called him “someone who shares her political philosophy and pragmatic approach to governing.”

  • The Washington Post called Kaine a cautious pick for Clinton, and said that in picking Kaine, Clinton may be thinking, "This is my race to win, and I'm not going to take any unnecessary risks along the way that could potentially screw that up."


Fun fact: According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Kaine learned how to play the harmonica in 1971. He is still an enthusiastic harmonica player!

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