2016 Presidential Campaign

What You Need To Know About Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s Vice President Pick

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton announced Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) as her running mate on Friday night in a text message to her supporters.

Elected to the United States Senate in 2012, Kaine previously served as mayor of Richmond from 1998-2001, lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2002-2005, governor of Virginia from 2006-2010, and chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011.

Kaine has a solid record on many core Democratic issues. He supports President Obama’s Affordable Care Act and has long been opposed to the use of the death penalty. Kaine is a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform, favoring a pathway to citizenship for immigrants. As governor, he pushed to offer universal pre-kindargarten and also signed a bill to ban smoking in Virginia bars and restaurants.

Additionally, Kaine has spoken out strongly about the need to address global climate change. In 2012, he said “humans have a responsibility to do something” about climate change. He has a lifetime score of 91 percent from the League of Conservation Voters, opposed the Keystone XL pipeline and protected 400,000 acres of land from being developed when he was governor of Virginia.

Kaine has a strong pro-gun control record. While running for the Senate in 2012, he received an “F” from the National Rifle Association. As a governor, he vetoed a bill that would have allowed the carrying of guns in vehicles and has introduced gun control bills in the Senate.

Widely seen as a safe pick, Kaine is well-liked by his Senate colleagues.

As a Catholic, Kane recently acknowledged he’s personally “opposed to abortion.” During his tenure as governor, he signed abortion-restricting laws such as a so-called informed consent measure that he innocuously described as giving “women information about a whole series of things, the health consequences, et cetera, and information about adoption.” His views on reproductive rights seem to have evolved, however, and as a senator he’s received a perfect score from Planned Parenthood for his pro-choice voting record.