CLINTON SELECTS KAINE FOR VP
Virginia senator a solid, dependable Democrat; many progressives had touted Ohio’s Sen. Brown.
On the eve of next week’s Democratic convention where she will become the first presidential nominee for a major American political party, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chose Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate.
With the choice, Clinton turned toward a solid and dependable Democrat with a strong resume, who has served as a member of the Senate and former governor of Virginia. With such a background, Clinton should easily persuade voters that he could serve as president if necessary.
Clinton made her announcement shortly after 8 p.m. Friday in a tweet to supporters, saying she was “thrilled to announce my running mate,” adding Kaine is “a man who’s devoted his life to fighting for others.”
By doing so, she rejected the chance to name Sen. Sherrod
Brown, the gravelly voiced and tousle-haired Democrat who is a favorite of progressives and organized labor. At least one high-level Democrat from Midwest state other than Ohio had urged the campaign to tap Brown as a way to guarantee that she would carry the critical state of Ohio.
By not picking Brown, Clinton also signaled she wants Democrats to regain control of the Senate. Sources say she has watched how Senate Republicans thwarted President Barack Obama’s agenda during the past two years, including his nomination of federal appeals judge Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Had Brown been picked and Clinton won the presidency, Gov. John Kasich would have named a Republican to fill Brown’s vacant Senate seat.
Dennis Eckart, a former Democratic congressman from Cleveland and a Brown ally, said Kaine offered a “lot of pluses” and “no drama,” pointing out that he comes from a crucial state Clinton needs for the 270 electoral votes to capture the presidency.
But Eckart said “Ohio is the heart of it all and Sherrod Brown is at the heart of Ohio and would have been a great pick.”
David Leland, former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party and now a state representative from Columbus, said Clinton went for “a very strong and steady presence on the ticket. He has a wealth of experience.”
“Plus, Virginia is a battleground state and we need to do well there,” Leland said. “When you add it all up, it’s a home run.”
Kaine, 58, speaks fluent Spanish, which may help him appeal toward Hispanics who are a key voting bloc in Florida, New Mexico and Arizona.
But Kaine carries one drawback. In a story first reported last month by Politico, after being elected governor in 2005, Kaine and his family accepted the free use of a vacation home in a West Indies island owned by a Virginia business executive.
In financial disclosure papers, Politico reported Kaine’s staff concluded the fair market value of use of the home amounted to $18,000. Under Virginia’s relatively loose ethics laws, the use of the home was legal.
Brown’s name had been prominently mentioned because of his strong background. He is in his second term as a member of the U.S. Senate, served seven terms in the House and won two terms in the 1980s as Ohio secretary of state.
He endorsed Clinton in October and often appeared with her when she campaigned in Ohio. He repeatedly deflected questions about whether he was being vetted, insisting simply that he was in contact with the Clinton campaign simply to see how he could help them.
Throughout much of his career, Brown has been the Democrat most disliked by Ohio Republicans. An intense partisan, he could be counted on to deliver the razor sharp attacks on GOP officials, often in starkly passionate terms.
But he has softened that image in the Senate, crossing the aisle and refusing to criticize Sen. Rob Portman, who faces a tough challenge from close Brown ally and former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland this fall.