Hillary Clinton has picked Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her vice-presidential running mate right on the eve of the Democratic National Convention that gets under way in Philadelphia on Monday.
Indian-American circles promptly hailed the choice, describing the 58-year-old Senator and a former Virginia Governor as a friend of India.
“I’m thrilled to announce my running mate, @TimKaine, a man who’s devoted his life to fighting for others,” Clinton announced in a Twitter post, ending the prolonged speculation on her choice.
Virginia being a swing State in the presidential election, pundits believe Kaine’s selection has added merit.
A member of Senate’s Foreign Affairs and Armed Forces Committees, Kaine was all along thought to be Clinton’s top preference before he edged out two other finalists — President Barack Obama’s Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack from Iowa and Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey.
last month, after listening to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the US Congress, Kaine had said in a statement: “With the strategic importance of the US-India relationship growing every year, I’ve been encouraged by increased cooperation on defence issues between our two countries, including the ongoing discussions regarding aircraft carrier technology.”
“As we continue to foster stability and combat terrorism in the Indo-Asia Pacific region, continued collaboration and expansion of multilateral exercises with our regional partners will be absolutely critical,” Kaine had said.
Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur and founder of Indiaspora MR Rangaswami called Kaine a “great friend of Indian-Americans and
India”, saying he has been an active member of the Senate India Caucus.
Kaine, who has made multiple official visits to India, has hailed the Indian-American talent pool, once commenting: “If you are just putting together a team on the aristocracy of merit, you have Indian Americans at the forefront.”
Eight years ago, Kaine was among those actively considered by Obama for the post before he eventually chose Joe Biden.
Kaine has the reputation of never having lost an election. Before becoming Senator in 2012, he was Virginia’s Governor, lt Governor and Mayor of Richmond. “I love that about him,” Clinton told interviewer Charlie Rose, adding Kaine is “one of the most highly respected senators I know”.
The two were set to hit the campaign trail on Saturday by making a joint appearance at Florida International University in Miami. As a fluent speaker in Spanish, Kaine is viewed as a big asset in Clinton’s outreach to the Hispanic population in this battleground State and across the US.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was quick to attack Clinton’s pick, telling supporters in a text message, “The ultimate insiders — Obama, Hillary and Kaine. Don’t let Obama have a 3rd term.”
At a recent Clinton rally, Kaine said the choice in the upcoming presidential race was clear, with voters having to decide whether they want a “trash-talking president” (Trump) or a “bridge-building President” (Clinton).