Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, seeking to head off criticism that his new job as Democratic National Committee chairman will distract him from a looming budget crisis at home, said Monday his role initially will be unpaid and limited to “an electronic gig.”
At an afternoon news conference, Kaine confirmed he will replace outgoing Chairman Howard Dean at the request of President-elect Barack Obama.
He pledged to be “completely engaged” as the last legislative session of his term kicks off next week, one that will be dominated by the $3 billion shortfall in the two-year budget.
“I have to be absolutely full time here at the General Assembly,” Kaine said. “Does that mean I can be on a Sunday show, possibly. But [Obama] understands that from wall to wall from the start of the session to the end that’s got to be the focus, and he’s completely comfortable with that.”
The 2009 session convenes Jan. 14 and runs through at least the end of February.
Kaine, who is barred from running for a second term in November, will be the second Virginia governor to take the helm of a national party recently, after James S. Gilmore III’s short tenure as Republican National Committee chairman in 2001.
Republican lawmakers doubted Kaine could fulfill the duties of both Virginia’s chief executive and the “partisan in chief,” especially as they work to craft a consensus spending plan that will require months of painful cutting.
“I don’t think being national chairman is a powder-puff job, maybe he can do both,” said House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem. “There is a real danger that whenever you try to serve two masters, you don’t serve either one well.”
The question about Kaine’s appointment is how Virginians will react, said political analyst Robert Holsworth, who runs Virginiatomorrow.com. Holsworth called the job a great opportunity, but a risky one.
“And the question is will the public see this as a feather in the governor’s cap, or will they see it as an example of somebody who’s become more concerned with partisan politics than the overall public good in the commonwealth,” he said.
Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, said he expects Kaine — who remains energetic and “by and large” responsive to Virginians — to be able to navigate both roles.
“The governor is a guy with a lot of energy,” Petersen said. “He campaigned actively for Obama, but I never got the impression that he was leaving the state behind.”
