Keller @ Large: Kaine A Perfect Fit For Clinton
BOSTON (CBS) - As this was written, final word on a running mate for presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton still hadn't dropped. But there is intensifying speculation that her choice will be Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, former governor of that key swing state and former chair of the Democratic National Committee.
If he's the one, it's easy to see why; Kaine checks quite a few political boxes.
Update: It's Official - Clinton Picks Kaine
A native of Minnesota, eldest son of a welder, Kaine is a Catholic with mixed Scotch-Irish ancestry who was raised in the Kansas City, Missouri area. He has a degree in economics from the University of Missouri and is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
Those are good credentials right there for the brewing battle over blue-collar voters in the Midwest, and there's more.
Related: Kaine Attends Boston Fundraiser
During nearly two decades of legal practice in Richmond, Virginia, Kaine specialized in racial and disability discrimination cases. He taught legal ethics at the University of Richmond Law School, and went on to serve as a city councilor and mayor of Richmond, with strong support from that city's large African-American community.
Stints as lieutenant governor and governor followed, with Kaine carving out an image as a pro-business centrist with socially progressive credentials. He was an early endorser of Barack Obama's presidential candidacy in 2007 and was thought of as a possible running-mate then.
He is fluent in Spanish, a skill that helped him win a Senate seat in 2012. In 2013 he became the first Senator to deliver a floor speech entirely in Spanish, in support of the so-called "Gang of Eight" immigration reform bill.
There are some political differences between Kaine and Clinton. Kaine is personally opposed to abortion, and while he supports Roe v. Wade, he does support some legal limits on abortion rights, including requiring parental consent for minors. He opposes capital punishment; she supports it in some cases.
But all in all, he seems a perfect fit for Clinton, albeit a safe pick. Elizabeth Warren? Two women on the ticket might be problematic, and if Clinton can't win Massachusetts on her own she might as well pack it in right now. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey? Awfully young to be president, and his election would leave an open Senate seat to be filled by Republican Gov. Chris Christie with the partisan balance in the Senate in doubt.
Stay tuned.
