U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton named U.S. Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate on July 22, 2016, a choice many news outlets said was a “safe” one.
Ms. Clinton made the announcement via Twitter and a text message to supporters.
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Mr. Kaine, a self-described “boring” Virginian, reportedly has a reputation for low-key competence, appealing to both independents and moderates.
The other possible candidates were U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who was the favourite among liberal democrats, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and Labour Secretary Thomas Perez, the two Hispanic members in the Obama administration.
Who is Tim Kaine?
Mr. Kaine is a Senator from Virginia and a former Mayor of Richmond. Born in Minnesota and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Mr. Kaine has a degree from Harvard Law School.
He was also the Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010 and a member of the Democratic National Committee for two years till 2011.
The New York Times has more say on his background. Kaine’s father is a welder who owned a small metalworking shop. The publication also mentions that he is a Roman Catholic who took a year off from Harvard to spend time in Honduras as a catholic missionary - an experience that is credited for his fluency in Spanish.
What is everybody saying about him?
Vox has described Mr. Kaine as a “mostly safe pick that will piss-off pro-choice activists”, while The Guardian ’s opinion piece called Ms. Clinton the “grown-up in this contest” for her choice of running mate. CNBC said Mr. Kaine brought a “solid economic record” into the game.
Why is he considered a safe pick?
“He’s never lost an election. He was a world-class Mayor, Governor and Senator and is one of the most highly respected Senators I know,” Ms. Clinton has been quoted as saying by Reuters.
Ballotpedia describes Mr. Kaine as a “more moderate left of centre vote”. He supports women’s right to choose abortion, favours gun control measures and most importantly, “Kaine has demonstrated how Democrats can win in the southern states that have changed most rapidly in the last decade,” according to The Guardian .
He is the Governor of a swing State where he enjoys popular support. (Swing States are those where both Republicans and Democrats enjoy almost equal support, and where the results can swing either way.)
Virginia, in addition to the swing State status, is also one of those States that was relatively unscathed by the 2006 economic recession. According to CNBC, Virginia’s job losses were less than the national average, and the unemployment rate lower. Wages in Virginia was also the same as the median wage for the 50 U.S. States.
If he so “boring” and “safe”, there should be no opposition to him, right?
Wrong.
Mr. Kaine is universally well-liked. Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona has even said on Twitter that he was trying to count the ways he hated Mr. Kaine. “Drawing a blank. Congrats to a good man and a good friend,” Mr. Flake said.
But there are some issues his selection might come up against.
Even though he supports women’s right to choose, Mr. Kaine says he is against abortion personally — a sore point for pro-choice activists in the U.S.
Mr. Kaine has voiced support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal with the Pacific Rim nations. There has been opposition to the deal from several quarters, including Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton's Democratic primary rival Bernie Sanders, who say it would be unfair to U.S. workers and kill jobs.
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