Before the ink was barely dry on Tim Kaine’s announcement Tuesday that he’ll be running for U.S. Senate in Virginia in 2012, Republicans immediately pounced, painting the former Virginia governor as a supporter of raising taxes and unabashed “cheerleader” of President Obama.
In a statement released by the Republican Party of Virginia, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli criticized Kaine as someone who worked to raise taxes “and, as President Barack Obama’s top cheerleader, he has supported every effort to grow the size of our federal government while raising our national debt to record levels.”
In his outgoing budget proposal as governor in 2009, Kaine wanted to close a $4.2 billion shortfall in part by ending Virginia’s car tax relief for counties and cities and replacing it with a $2 billion increase in income taxes.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee also released a statement tying Kaine — who did not mention Obama or his role as chairman of the Democratic National Committee in his announcement video — to the president and high-profile national issues like the economic stimulus plan.
Meanwhile, Katie Wright, communications director for the campaign of former Sen. George Allen, who is considered the frontrunner for the GOP nomination for the seat, released a statement blasting Kaine for standing “with his liberal Washington allies like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi as they imposed their harmful agenda on Virginia and America” as DNC Chairman.
