Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine officially won election Wednesday to head the national Democratic Party, a largely ceremonial vote that cements him as his party’s “partisan in chief.”
Kaine has pledged to lead the Democratic National Committee on a part-time basis until the end of his term as governor early next year. His election Wednesday at the DNC’s winter meeting was largely a formality; President Obama already had selected Kaine, a close campaign trail ally, to replace outgoing Chairman Howard Dean.
Facing the worst budget crisis of his four-year term, Kaine walks a tightrope between his national aspirations and his work as Virginia’s chief executive. And his statements last year explaining why he wouldn’t accept the position continue to give his detractors fuel for criticism. Before the November election, Kaine told reporters that taking the job would mean “taking my eye too much off the ball” in Virginia.
“We agree with Tim Kaine that by taking this job, he’s taking his eye off the ball,” said Republican Party of Virginia spokesman Gerry Scimeca.
“Democrats themselves have said that you can’t do both roles, that was when we weren’t facing the crisis we are now,” Scimeca said. “And according to Kaine himself, he couldn’t do both roles. He’s never really indicated why he thinks he can do that now.”
Kaine has said the chairmanship initially will be limited to “an electronic gig” through the phone and e-mail.
Dean on Wednesday called Kaine “the right man to build on our accomplishments.”
“Governor Kaine understands the importance of reaching out to everyone and standing up for our values,” the outgoing DNC chairman said. “He knows that the strength of our party comes from the bottom up and will continue the grassroots approach that has made our party so successful.”
Virginia lawmakers have just begun work on patching up a hole of at least $3 billion in the commonwealth’s two-year budget and are expected to work closely with the governor as they forge a plan on closing the gap.
