Tim Kaine (D-Va.)

U.S. Senator (since January 2013); former Virginia governor

(TWP)

Why He Matters

In a short 15 years, Kaine rose from civil-rights lawyer to city councilman to big-city mayor to governor of Virginia. After spending two years as head of the Democratic National Committee, Kaine announced he would resign that position to run for an open Senate seat in Virginia in 2012. He then won the Senate race, defeating another former governor, Republican George Allen.

A Democrat in a traditionally red state, Kaine won the Virginia governorship by convincing voters that he wasn't just another big-city liberal. Instead, the former Richmond mayor spoke openly about his religion, advocated tax cuts and professed an opposition to abortion.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Chair of the Democratic National Committee (2009 to 2011); Governor of Virginia (2006-2010) Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (2002 to 2006); Mayor of Richmond, Va. (1998 to 2002); Richmond City Council Member (1994 to 1998)
Birthday: Feb. 26, 1958
Hometown: Born in St. Paul, Minn.; raised in Overland Park, Kan.
Alma Mater: University of Missouri, B.A., 1979; Harvard Law School, J.D., 1983
Spouse: Anne Holton
Religion: Catholic
DC Office: 430 S. Capitol Street SE, 202-863-8000

State Office: Richmond, 804-786-2211
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Path to Power

Born in St Paul, Minn., Kaine grew up in Overland Park, Kan., and, hitting his third corner of the Midwest, went to college at the University of Missouri. After graduating in just three years, he went on to Harvard Law School. At the midpoint of law school, he took a break and moved to Honduras where he served as the principal of a Catholic school, teaching children basic carpentry and welding skills. When he returned to Harvard the future governor met his wife Anne Holton, daughter of former Virginia Gov. Linwood Holton (R).

Upon graduation in 1983, the couple moved to Richmond, Va., where Kaine set up a private practice as a civil-rights attorney. In 1994, the political bug bit Kaine and he defeated an incumbent for a seat on the Richmond City Council. In 1998, he was elected Richmond mayor and three years later ran for lieutenant governor, his first attempt at statewide office.

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Kaine beat out Jay Katzen (R-Va.) for Virginia's number-two job after an election debate that centered largely on education. Kaine boasted of increasing education spending in Richmond by 30 percent without raising taxes and opposed Katzen's plan to provide parents with vouchers for private schools. Kaine won by two percentage points, or just under 40,000 votes.

Virginia's lieutenant governorship is a largely ceremonial job that serves mainly as a platform for running for governor. Kaine was quickly considered the front-runner to become Virginia's governor in 2006 when Mark Warner's (D-Va.) term expired.

Warner helped Kaine campaign against Republican attorney general and Kaine's opponent, Jerry Kilgore (R). Unlike Warner, who appealed to moderates and Republicans with his pledge not to increase taxes and support for gun rights, Kaine put together a quality of life agenda focusing on issues like a statewide pre-K initiative and new transportation solutions.

Despite an ugly election that saw Kilgore accuse Kaine of being untrustworthy and politically opportunistic, the former Richmond mayor won the election 52 to 46 percent, thanks largely to overwhelming support in the Washington, D.C., suburbs and Fairfax County. Shortly after the election, national Democrats chose Kaine to deliver the response to President George W. Bush's State of the Union address.

Virginia Governorship

Once in office, Kaine was forced to navigate the conflicts that come with Republican control of the state House and Senate. This has proven especially difficult as Kaine has tried and failed to address Virginia's terrible traffic problems.

The defining moment of Kaine's tenure came in April 2007 when a student went on a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. Kaine was in Japan at the time and he quickly flew home, delivering the convocation on campus the next day. His handling of the tragedy won bipartisan praise.

Two months prior, Kaine had made a decision that would prove invaluable to his political career: he became the first governor outside of Illinois to endorse Obama for president. "The values orientation that this man has counts for an awful lot and makes me very confident. I won't lose a second of sleep with Barack Obama as president of the United States," Kaine said upon endorsing Obama. The two politicians first got together in 2005 when Obama came to Virginia to help Kaine campaign for governor. They soon learned that they shared a lot in common: both have mothers from Kansas, both are Harvard-educated and both were civil-rights attorneys.

After Obama won the Democratic presidential nod, Kaine was frequently mentioned as his possible vice president. Obama ended up choosing Joseph R. Biden.

But during the 2008 transition, Obama appointed Kaine head of the Democratic National Committee, where he is expected to continue the party's appeal to America's youth.

2012 Senate Race

After Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) announced his retirement in 2011, Kaine announced in April 2011 that he would seek to keep the extremely competitive seat in GOP hands.

Ex-Sen. and former Virginia Gov. George Allen (R) is just one of the candidates in the 2012 race.

The Issues

Like Obama, Kaine has positioned himself as a politician above politics. He's an eloquent speaker who describes himself as more pragmatic than partisan.

His Catholicism informs his opposition to both the death penalty and abortion (he personally opposes it, but does not wish to see Roe v. Wade overturned). Kaine is also a strong civil rights advocate, especially as it pertains to housing, an issue he spent much of his time on as a lawyer. "He's not a person who seems to be driven by politics," said Robert D. Holsworth, the director of the Center for Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University. "That's what people like about him. He seems to be driven by something else, which is that he wants to do things for other people."

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Kaine has been criticized for not having a singular defining accomplishment as governor. He disputes this notion though, citing Virginia's economic success during his tenure and an A-rating from Governing Magazine as the best governed state in the nation.

The Economy

Upon taking office in 2007, Kaine pledged to further the state's economic growth.

He began by setting a goal of increasing the state's exports by seven percent for each year until 2010. Considering Virginia's designation as the No. 1 "Best State for Business" by Forbes magazine, it seems like he's succeeded. "Virginia has long enjoyed a business-friendly climate. The Commonwealth's regulatory and legal environments are tough to beat, as well as our strong, educated labor force," said Kaine. "This best-in-nation validation speaks volumes to our competitiveness in today's global market."

In late 2008, Kaine proposed a cigarette tax increase and 1,500 government job cuts to deal with Virginia's budget shortfall, which has been devastated by the recession. The plan encountered instant criticism from Republicans.

Education

Kaine has made the expansion of pre-K one of his top goals, announcing an ambitious program that he says will remove barriers of access to Pre-K based on geography or income. He also began fighting for tougher teacher evaluations after he was "shocked" that there were not state rules calling for strict teacher evaluations.

Kaine was also instrumental in pushing a $1.6 billion bond package through the Virginia General Assembly. The money is earmarked to pay for 75 construction projects at state colleges and universities to build facilities and make additions to the campuses.

Kaine said the money was an important part of improving the state's economy. "Education is about economic development," he said.

Transportation

Kaine made solving Virginia's long-standing transportation problems one of the priorities of his campaign.

Once in office, however, he encountered budget shortfalls and partisan opposition that has thus thwarted his transportation plans.

In May 2008, Kaine proposed a new transportation package, the fourth put forward by either the governor or General Assembly during Kaine's four years in office. It called for a boost in the sales tax and vehicle registration fees to pay for the construction of new roads and the repair of old ones. Like the plans that came before it, Kaine's newest idea failed. Still, the governor isn't giving up. "We're going to be talking about transportation one way or another until we solve it," he said. "Our citizens are demanding it."

The Network

One of Kaine's closest political allies is President Barack Obama. When Obama introduced Kaine as the new head of the DNC, the former Illinois senator said they share a "pragmatic, progressive philosophy" to govern across party lines."

During the campaign for the 2005 governorship, Kaine secured the valuable endorsement of powerful Democrat and former Gen. Wesley Clark who said of Kaine: "Tim, I just, I look at you, and I look at what you can do for this state, and for this country, what it represents to this party. You're the kind of Democrat that we need."

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Additional Resources

"Governor Kaine Announces Forbes.Com Three-Peat by Virginia," Tim Kaine Official Web site
Bowers, Matthew and Fernandes, Deirdre, "Governor urges better teacher evaluations," The Virginian Pilot, Jan. 24. 2006
Cillizza, Chris, The Washington Post, "Tim Kaine announces for Senate in Virginia," April 5, 2011
"Kaine to propose job cuts, cigarette tax hike," Richmond Times Dispatch, Dec. 18, 2008
Meola, Olympic and Schapiro, Jeff, "Transportation plan defeated," Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 27, 2008
Zernike, Kate, "Charismatic Governor Rises to the Short List," New York Times, Aug. 13, 2008
"General Wes Clark Endorses Tim Kaine for Governor of Virginia," WesPac
Castillo, Jackie, "Kaine fires back at Rove," CNN, Aug. 17, 2008
Cillizza, Chris, The Washington Post, "Tim Kaine announces for Senate in Virginia," April 5, 2011
Biographical information from The Almanac of American Politics, 2008 edition
Skalka, Jennifer, "Obama/Kaine," National Journal's Hotline, January 8, 2009
Fiske, Warren, "Kaine endorses Obama at Richmond fundraiser," The Virginian-Pilot, Feb. 18, 2007
Jenkins, Chris, "Governor's Bond Proposal Would Reshape Colleges," The Washington Post, Jan. 17, 2008
"Sorokin, Ellen "Kaine takes No. 2 spot, Kilgore wins attorney general," The Washington Times, Nov. 7 2001

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