Tim Kaine (D)

Why He Matters

In a short 15 years, Kaine has risen from civil rights lawyer to city councilman to big-city mayor to red state governor and now, to head of the Democratic National Committee.

A Democrat in a traditionally red state, Kaine won the governorship of Virginia 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.

Kaine is a close political ally of President Barack Obama, who campaigned for Kaine during his 2005 race for governor. Kaine returned the favor by endorsing Obama and delivering Virginia in the presidential election, the first time the state had gone blue in a presidential contest since 1964. Two weeks before the inauguration, Obama chose Kaine to succeed Howard Dean as the head of the Democratic National Committee.

Kaine, who will serve as a part-time DNC head until he finishes his term as governor in 2010, claims that Virginia will be his highest priority. “I have told the [Obama] that this is the priority,” Kaine said. “I believe this is the highest office I will ever be elected to and I’m going to have a good last year.”Fiske, Warren, “Kaine: DNC job won't interfere with Virginia work,” The Virginian-Pilot, Jan. 5, 2009 Kaine has a tough task in his first two years as DNC chair. In 38 states, governors will be on the ballot in 2010, and, since congressional redistricting is on the agenda for 2011, winning as many governors seats as possible will be a top priority. Kaine was likely picked in part because he has proved he can win a statewide governor’s race in a red state. An energetic and engaging leader in the same mold as Obama, Kaine is expected to become a relentless public advocate for the Obama administration and, perhaps most importantly, help him win re-election in 2012.

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 governor 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.

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.“Sorokin, Ellen “Kaine takes No. 2 spot, Kilgore wins attorney general,” The Washington Times, Nov. 7 2001

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.

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.”Zernike, Kate, “Charismatic Governor Rises to the Short List,” New York Times, Aug. 13, 2008

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.Castillo, Jackie, “Kaine fires back at Rove,” CNN, Aug. 17, 2008

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.”Skalka, Jennifer, “Obama/Kaine,” National Journal’s Hotline, January 8, 2009

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.”“General Wes Clark Endorses Tim Kaine for Governor of Virginia,” WesPac

Kaine is also close to current Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, who served as governor when Kaine was lieutenant governor. Virginia’s other Senator, James Webb (D-Va.), benefitted from Kaine’s popularity in 2006 when the governor blanketed the state campaigning for Webb.