Clinton Taps Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine For VP
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ORLANDO, Florida (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - Hillary Clinton picks Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running made.
Clinton calls Kaine a "relentless optimist who believes no problem is unsolvable if you put in the work to solve it."
She made the announcement via email, text message and on social media:
I'm thrilled to announce my running mate, @TimKaine, a man who's devoted his life to fighting for others. -H pic.twitter.com/lTVyfztE5Z
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 23, 2016
With the pick, Clinton moved into the political spotlight a day after newly crowned Republican nominee Donald Trump closed out his convention with a fiery address accusing his general election opponent of "terrible, terrible crimes."
Kaine, 58, had long been a favorite for Clinton's ticket. Fluent in Spanish and active in the Senate on foreign relations and military affairs, he built a reputation for working across the aisle as Virginia's governor and as mayor of Richmond.
In a recent interview with CBS News, Clinton noted that Kaine has never lost an election during his lengthy political career and praised him as a "world-class mayor, governor and senator." A favorite of Barack Obama since his early 2008 endorsement, the president told Clinton's campaign he believed Kaine would be a strong choice during the selection process, according to a Democratic familiar with the search who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Those views are not shared by some liberals in the Democratic Party, who dislike his support of free trade and Wall Street. They pushed Clinton to pick Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, intensifying their criticism of Kaine late this week as his selection appeared imminent.
The campaign largely declined to comment on the search process, trying to keep the details — even the names of the finalists — under wraps to try to maximize the impact of their announcement. She made no mention of her impending pick during a somber meeting Friday with community leaders and family members affected by the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando and a later campaign rally in Tampa.
She is expected to campaign with Kaine on Saturday morning at an event in Miami.
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