Hillary Clinton has picked Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate Friday evening, a decision she announced via text message just days before Democrats gather in Philadelphia for their 2016 convention.
In a tweet moments later, Clinton lauded Kaine as “a relentless optimist who believes no problem is unsolvable if you put in the work to solve it.”
.@TimKaine is a relentless optimist who believes no problem is unsolvable if you put in the work to solve it.https://t.co/pui1WFEVpS
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 23, 2016
Many considered the former governor of Virginia, former Democratic National Committee chairman and current senator a moderate, safe choice for Clinton. But he also adds new elements to the ticket by reaching out to both working class voters and Latinos while carrying a crucial swing state.
Kaine would also help Clinton reach out to a voting demographic she struggles with: working class, white, male voters. A native of Minnesota who was raised in Missouri, Kaine’s Catholic upbringing may help Clinton in the fall.
Kaine is not an attack dog, which Clinton may need in the coming months as she prepares to do battle with Donald Trump in the general election.
Still, his history as a Jesuit missionary in Honduras has given him credibility within the Latino community, a group that will help decide the outcomes of the Ohio, Colorado, Nevada, Virginia and Florida elections.
During a campaign stop with Clinton in Annandale last week, Kaine easily slipped into fluent Spanish, and led groups in chants of “estamos listos para Hillary!”
