Clinton opts for much admired Kaine
The newly-formed Democratic ticket took the stage for the first time in Miami, showing off a partnership that prizes steadiness over flashiness.
As Hillary Clinton presented her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine to a roaring crowd of supporters, she noted that her choice stood in clear contrast to Republican nominee Donald Trump and pick for vice president, Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
‘‘Senator Tim Kaine is everything Donald Trump and Mike Pence are not,’’ Clinton said. ‘‘He is qualified to step into this job and lead on day one. And he is a progressive who likes to get things done!’’
As if to prove to those wondering, Kaine put on display the long resume and demeanour that helped him become the last man standing in Clinton’s running mate search.
He presented himself as a public servant whom people from a wide range of upbringings and ethnicities could find something to identify with. And in essence he did one thing Clinton has struggled to do in this campaign: convey authenticity.
The two launched their political marriage to a crowd of more than 5000 at Florida International University, a campus that is twothirds Hispanic. The diverse audience waved American flags and Puerto Rican flags as they waited – in some cases for hours – for Clinton and Kaine to take the stage.
After months of deliberation, Clinton announced on Saturday that she had chosen Kaine, passing over other candidates who offered more diversity for a self-described ‘‘boring’’ white man from Virginia.
But four seconds after opening his mouth, Kaine thrilled the crowd by speaking Spanish.
‘‘Bienvenidos a todos en nuestro pais. Porque somos americanos todos,’’ Kaine said. ‘‘Welcome to everyone in our country, because we are all Americans.’’
Kaine had long been a frontrunner for the job. He was passed over by President Obama for the vice-presidential job in 2008, but in the intervening years, Kaine beefed up his resume, winning a Senate seat in a key swing state, serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to accrue foreign policy experience and establishing himself as a wellliked pragmatist.
All along, Clinton’s aides and allies said that her top priority was finding a partner who would not just help her govern, but who is also qualified and prepared to do the job from day one.
Kaine – a former governor, mayor and Democratic National Committee chairman – outstripped other contenders with a background that satisfied that qualification, she said.
‘‘There’s no doubt in my mind that Tim is qualified to be vice president,’’ Clinton said. ‘‘At every stage in his career, the people who know him best have voted to give him a promotion.
‘‘That’s because he fights for the people he represents and he delivers real results,’’ she said.
Almost immediately, Trump began criticising Clinton’s pick on Twitter, claiming that Kaine is ‘‘owned by the banks’’ and criticising him for accepting gifts as governor of Virginia, a practice that was legal at the time in the state.