Clinton leans on Kaine
Campaign into new phase as Hillary names offsider
Liberals among Democrats dismayed at choice of freetrade supporter ahead of progressive and Hispanic candidates.
Hillary Clinton’s choice of Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate sees her opting for an experienced governing partner who will help her present the Democratic ticket as a steady alternative to the unpredictable campaign of Republican presidential rival Donald Trump.
The selection of Kaine, a selfdescribed ‘‘boring’’ Virginian with a reputation for low-key competence, could appeal to independents and moderates, but it quickly angered liberal groups who object to his advocacy for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement free-trade pact.
The Spanish-speaking former Virginia governor and Richmond mayor fits Clinton’s long-stated criteria that the vice-presidential choice be a capable and reliable partner who is ready to take over the presidency if necessary.
Clinton made the announcement yesterday via Twitter and a text message to supporters after the first day of a two-day campaign swing in Florida. She called Kaine to tell him about 40 minutes before the announcement, and called US President Barack Obama shortly afterwards.
‘‘I’m thrilled to tell you this first: I’ve chosen Sen Tim Kaine as my running mate. Welcome him to my team,’’ she said in her text message.
Kaine, 58, edged out two other finalists – Cory Booker, a senator from New Jersey, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, according to a Democratic source familiar with the discussions.
Clinton also bypassed candidates who would have generated more excitement among liberal and Hispanic activists, including progressive favourite Senator Elizabeth Warren and two Hispanic members of Obama’s cabinet, Julian Castro and Thomas Perez.
The former secretary of state will be formally nominated as the party’s presidential candidate for the November 8 election at next week’s Democratic convention in Philadelphia. She leads Trump in many opinion polls.
Clinton’s choice of a running mate could give her campaign momentum heading into the convention, as the fight for the White House begins a more than threemonth push to the finish.
Clinton, 68, acknowledged in an interview earlier this week that even Kaine admits he is boring, and said she did not mind.
‘‘I love that about him,’’ she told Charlie Rose of CBS News and PBS. ‘‘He’s never lost an election. He was a world-class mayor, governor and senator and is one of the most highly respected senators I know.’’
‘‘Just got off the phone with Hillary. I’m honoured to be her running mate. Can’t wait to hit the trail tomorrow in Miami,’’ Kaine said on Twitter.
Liberal groups, which had pressured Clinton not to pick Kaine because of his support for fasttrack authority for the White House to negotiate the TPPA, were dismayed by the choice.
Critics of the free-trade deal, including Trump and Clinton’s Democratic primary rival Bernie Sanders, say it would be unfair to US workers and cost jobs. Clinton praised the deal when she was secretary of state, but has since distanced herself from it.
Top Republicans were quick to criticise Clinton’s choice.
The Trump campaign called Kaine ‘‘an ethically challenged insider’’ and called Clinton and Kaine a ‘‘status quo’’ ticket.
‘‘If you think Crooked Hillary and Corrupt Kaine are going to change anything in Washington, it’s just the opposite,’’ campaign aide Jason Miller said in a statement.
Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus condemned the choice, saying Clinton spent the past week pandering to Sanders and grassroots Democrats, and now ‘‘has chosen someone who holds positions that she’s spent the entire primary trying to get to the left of.’’
If you think Crooked Hillary and Corrupt Kaine are going to change anything in Washington, it’s just the opposite. Jason Miller Trump campaign aide
Some Democrats who know Kaine well dismissed fears that he lacks the toughness to stand up to Republican attacks, given how deftly Trump chewed up Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio in the Republican primaries.
Kaine has good relations with senators from the opposing party, according to senior Senate Republican congressional aides. One aide speculated Kaine would be effective in reaching out to congressional Republicans if he becomes vice-president, a role that Vice-President Joe Biden has played for Obama.
Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, has been a leading voice calling for a formal authorisation of war against the Islamic State terror group. He played an important role in securing congressional review of the 2015 international deal on Iran’s nuclear programme, although he eventually backed it.
He has a track record of backing liberal causes such as ending across-the-board automatic budget cuts and providing a pathway to citizenship to millions of undocumented immigrants.
Kaine, a Catholic who became fluent in Spanish while serving as a missionary in Honduras, has expressed personal opposition to abortion, but has a public record in support of abortion rights.