Tim Kaine to be Hillary Clinton's running mate
In the upcoming Presidential Elections 2016, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton selected centrist senator from Virgina, Tim Kaine, to be her running mate. Left-leaning candidates were overlooked by Mrs. Clinton in favour of the 58-year old senator. Tim Kaine's home state (Virginia) is a major battleground in the upcoming election. He takes a keen interest in enhancing US-India ties.
Who is Tim Kaine?
Tim Kaine is a civil rights lawyer, who was born in Minnesota and grew up in the city of Kansas. Tim Kaine endorsed Barack Obama early in the 2008 primary cycle. He was amongst Obama's top 3 choices for running mate, along with Joe Bidden and then Senator Evan Bayh. After Obama achieved Presidency, Kaine was asked to take over the Democratic National Committee.
The announcement
Hilary Clinton made her choice public in a tweet stating, "I'm thrilled to announce my running mate, @TimKaine, a man who's devoted his life to fighting for others. -H."
The benefits of choosing Tim Kaine
Tim Kaine represents his home state, Virginia, a must-win swing state where he is quite popular. After being appointed as the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Tim Kaine, during his tenure, has remained under constant national scrutiny, making him a safe choice. He is a reliable Democrat in the Senate, who votes with his party more than 90% of the time.
Fluency in Spanish
While studying at Harvard Law School, Tim Kaine worked as a missionary in Honduras for a year, becoming eloquent with the Spanish language. As the VP nominee, this could help him campaign in Latino communities.
The downside to Tim Kaine
Because of Tim Kaine's low national recognition, his nomination won't shower enthusiasm on the Democratic base. As a pre-Obama Democratic governor in a purple state, Tim Kaine becomes vulnerable to criticism from the left. From a liberal perspective, the biggest disadvantage of Kaine's nomination is his perspective on abortion. While running for governorship in Virgina in 2005, he positioned himself as personally against abortion.
