On Friday evening, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton announced her running mate in the 2016 election — Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. Clinton announced her decision via text message in both English and Spanish, as well as sending out a tweet telling how excited she was about the announcement. Kaine offers a more conservative running mate than others who were considered. There had been speculation that Clinton would choose Elizabeth Warren, creating the first two-woman ticket, or Tom Perez, a civil rights lawyer who would have been the first Latino to run for VP.
The selection of Kaine was a strategic choice for the Clinton campaign. He’s fluent in Spanish, which serves as a way to reach out to Latinx and Hispanic voters, as well as helping Clinton with much-needed appeal to the white, male demographic. In addition to that, Kaine is from Virginia, a swing state. Having Kaine on the ticket could also be very valuable there. He has served as the mayor of Richmond and as the governor of Virginia, which could give them the upperhand with Virginia voters. Kaine has often been labeled as a boring, kind of bland character. (When asked about his reputation, Clinton said it is one of the things she loves about him. However, his moderate character can be seen as an asset, because he works across the aisle with Republican lawmakers. And his record is perfect: he has never lost an election. Both of those attributes should give Clinton a boost in the polls.
At the same time, Kaine has shown dedication to many social justice issues. He has presented himself in favor of Black Lives Matter and of religious freedom in Muslim communities. He has actively defended death row inmates. And has condemned those who are against accepting refugees. However, he is not much of an attack dog, a role that is expected of many vice-presidential candidates. He just doesn’t act aggressively, preferring a more measured approach to politics.
In that way, Kaine’s moderate demeanor just might be part of the reason that he is Clinton’s choice as a running mate. He is popular, smart, and easy to get along with. And his ideals won’t challenge Clinton’s appeal to voters.
Still, some of his positions have some liberals concerned about him. Although he has a very high record of voting in favor of Planned Parenthood and women’s rights (excluding the Hyde Amendment,) he is personally against abortions, having been raised Catholic. He has also voted in favor of fast-tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which essentially protects any trade agreements from filibusters. The TPP is a bill that has been strongly opposed by Bernie Sanders, as well as his supporters.
There are many positives and negatives to Tim Kaine as Vice President. While I don’t know if he is the best pick for you and me, he is clearly a good pick for the Clinton campaign, who can help her to win the votes of moderate conservatives who don’t want to vote for Trump.
