Virginia Senate candidate Tim Kaine will be on hand Saturday for President Obama’s campaign kickoff in Richmond as the two Democrats continue their coordinated efforts in a state that will help shape the political landscape of Washington in November.
Kaine, a former governor and chairman of the Democratic National Committee under Obama, told supporters Wednesday he planned to attend and offered the opportunity to be his personal guest at the rally.
Virginia is just one of two states, along with Ohio, Obama chose to launch his campaign, underscoring the importance of the state in November. Obama targeted Virginia’s 13 electoral college votes on his path to 270, and the Senate race between Kaine and likely Republican opponent George Allen is one of the most heated races in the country.
“President Obama has chosen Virginia as one of his first campaign stops of the 2012 election — representing the commonwealth’s transformation from a non-competitive state to an important battleground state in November’s elections,” Kaine told supporters in an email. “The eyes of the nation will be on us for the next six months.”
Allen’s campaign and conservative outside groups continue to pound Kaine for his friendship with Obama, and for his part, Kaine has not shied away from the president. So far it hasn’t hurt him: The latest polls continue to show the Kaine-Allen matchup is too close to call, which is what those surveys have shown since early 2011.
On Monday, Politico named Virginia the top Senate race in the country to watch and it could ultimately determine whether Democrats retain their narrow majority in that chamber.
