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Tim Kaine vice presidential campaign, 2016
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
- See also: Tim Kaine
Tim Kaine was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2016. On July 22, 2016, Hillary Clinton announced via text message and Twitter that she had selected Kaine to be her running mate, calling him "a man who's devoted his life to fighting for others."[1][2]
Kaine is a U.S. Senator from Virginia and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee.[3] He previously served as governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010. Kaine was lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006 and Richmond, Virginia's mayor from 1998 to 2001.[4]
Just after 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 22, 2016, Kaine received a call from Hillary Clinton asking him to be her running mate. At 11:15 p.m., Kaine was on a flight to Miami, Florida, and working on his acceptance speech. Clinton formally introduced Kaine as her vice presidential pick at a rally the next morning, Saturday, July 23, 2016, at Florida International University in Miami.[5][6]
Kaine was described as a "responsible" choice. He brought government experience at all levels—from city council to the U.S. Senate—to the Democratic ticket and was widely regarded as being fully prepared to step into the role of president if necessary. Kaine also brought foreign policy know-how and national leadership experience as chair of the Democratic National Committee to the ticket. He is also a popular figure in the battleground state of Virginia.[7]
Kaine received the vice presidential nomination of the Democratic Party by acclamation on July 27, 2016, at the Democratic National Convention.[8]
Kaine on domestic affairs
Kaine supports legal access to abortion, firearm background checks, and criminal justice reform. He supports voting rights, early childhood education and technical training programs, and comprehensive immigration reform. Kaine supported President Obama’s efforts to expand DACA and DAPA, to update national fuel economy standards, and to develop policies regarding transgender issues in schools. He has urged his colleagues in the U.S. Senate to hold a hearing on President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee. Kaine supports reducing carbon emissions, but not fully abandoning carbon-based energy.
Click the tiles below to learn more about Kaine's positions on domestic affairs.
Kaine on economic affairs and government regulations
Kaine believes that everything should be on the table to find solutions to budget challenges. He supports increasing the minimum wage and expanding the guest worker program. He has called for comprehensive tax reform that leads to a simpler and more predictable tax code. Kaine opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Click the tiles below to learn more about Kaine's positions on economic affairs and government regulations.
Kaine on foreign affairs and national security
Kaine pressed for the establishment of safe zones in Syria to protect civilian lives and supply lines for food, water, and medical supplies. He also called on the U.S. to accept and resettle more Syrian refugees. Kaine supports the Iran nuclear agreement and has repeatedly urged Congress to vote to authorize war against ISIS. He sits on both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Click the tiles below to learn more about Kaine's positions on foreign affairs and national security.
Vice presidential debate
On October 4, 2016, Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence participated in the only vice presidential debate of the 2016 election. The debate took place at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, and was moderated by Elaine Quijano.
Preparation
To help Kaine prepare for the debate, D.C. attorney Bob Barnett played the role of Pence in mock debate sessions. Barnett also assisted Hillary Clinton with debate prep in the 2016 Democratic primaries by playing the role of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. In past mock debates sessions, Barnett also played George H.W. Bush and Dick Cheney.[9]
Debate analysis
See below how much the vice presidential candidates spoke and which words they used most commonly during the debate.
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Debate substance
Russia was the most frequently mentioned country, followed by Iran and Syria. Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin were the public figures mentioned most by Kaine and Pence. Debate topics included the economy, criminal justice, national security, and each presidential candidate's character.
Key statements made by Kaine
On Hillary Clinton
- “I'll just say this: We trust Hillary Clinton, my wife and I, and we trust her with the most important thing in our life. We have a son deployed overseas in the Marine Corps right now. We trust Hillary Clinton as president and commander-in-chief, but the thought of Donald Trump as commander-in-chief scares us to death.”[10]
- “Elaine, let me tell you why I trust Hillary Clinton. Here's what people should look at as they look at a public servant. Do they have a passion in their life that showed up before they were in public life? And have they held onto that passion throughout their life, regardless of whether they were in office or not, succeeding or failing? Hillary Clinton has that passion. From a time as a kid in a Methodist youth group in the suburbs of Chicago, she has been focused on serving others with a special focus on empowering families and kids. As a civil rights lawyer in the South, with the Children's Defense Fund, first lady of Arkansas and this country, senator, secretary of state, it's always been about putting others first. And that's a sharp contrast with Donald Trump.”[10]
On foreign policy
- “Do you know that we had 175,000 troops deployed in the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan? Do you know that Iran was racing toward a nuclear weapon and Russia was expanding its stockpile? Under Secretary Clinton's leadership, she was part of the national team, public safety team that went after and revived the dormant hunt against bin Laden and wiped him off the face of the Earth. She worked to deal with the Russians to reduce their chemical weapons stockpile. She worked a tough negotiation with nations around the world to eliminate the Iranian nuclear weapons program without firing a shot.”[10]
- “Hillary and I also agree that the establishment of humanitarian zones in northern Syria with the provision of international human aid, consistent with the U.N. Security Council resolution that was passed in February 2014, would be a very, very good idea. And Hillary also has the ability to stand up to Russia in a way that this ticket does not. Donald Trump, again and again, has praised Vladimir Putin. And it's clear that he has business dealings with Russian oligarchs who are very connected to Putin.”[10]
On taxes, jobs, and the economy
- “Elaine, on the economy, there's a fundamental choice for the American electorate. Do you want a "you're hired" president in Hillary Clinton or do you want a "you're fired" president in Donald Trump? I think that's not such a hard choice. Hillary and I have a plan that's on the table that's a "you're hired" plan.”[10]
- “Independent analysts say the Clinton plan would grow the economy by 10.5 million jobs. The Trump plan would cost 3.5 million jobs. And Donald Trump -- why would he do this? Because his tax plan basically helps him. And if he ever met his promise and he gave his tax returns to the American public like he said he would, we would see just how much his economic plan is really a Trump-first plan.”[10]
- “Governor Pence had to give Donald Trump his tax returns to show he was qualified to be vice president. Donald Trump must give the American public his tax returns to show that he's qualified to be president. And he's breaking his promise.”[10]
On gun control
- “I'm a gun-owner. I'm a strong Second Amendment supporter. But I've got a lot of scar tissue, because when I was governor of Virginia, there was a horrible shooting at Virginia Tech, and we learned that through that painful situation that gaps in the background record check system should have been closed and it could have prevented that crime, and so we're going to work to do things like close background record checks. And if we do, we won't have the tragedies that we did.”[10]
On Donald Trump
- “And I just want to talk about the tone that's set from the top. Donald Trump during his campaign has called Mexicans rapists and criminals. He's called women slobs, pigs, dogs, disgusting. I don't like saying that in front of my wife and my mother. He attacked an Indiana-born federal judge and said he was unqualified to hear a federal lawsuit because his parents were Mexican. He went after John McCain, a POW, and said he wasn't hero because he'd been captured. He said African-Americans are living in Hell. And he perpetrated this outrageous and bigoted lie that President Obama is not a U.S. citizen. If you want to have a society where people are respected and respect laws, you can't have somebody at the top who demeans every group that he talks about. And I just -- again, I cannot believe that Governor Pence will defend the insult-driven campaign that Donald Trump has run.”[10]
- “Donald Trump can't start a Twitter war with Miss Universe without shooting himself in the foot. Donald Trump doesn't have a plan. He said, "I have a secret plan," and then he said, "Um, I know more than all the generals about ISIL." And then he said, "I'm going to call the generals to help me figure out a plan." And finally he said, "I'm going to fire all the generals." He doesn't have a plan.”[10]
- “He won't pay taxes. … It is about our troops. It is about our troops. … How can you support the troops if you won't pay taxes?”[10]
- “Six times tonight, I have said to Governor Pence I can't imagine how you can defend your running mate's position on one issue after the next. And in all six cases, he's refused to defend his running mate. … And yet he is asking everybody to vote for somebody that he cannot defend. And I just think that should be underlined.”[10]
On balancing faith and policy
- “I'm really fortunate. I grew up in a wonderful household with great Irish Catholic parents. My mom and dad are sitting right here. I was educated by Jesuits at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City. My 40th reunion is in 10 days. And I worked with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras, now nearly 35 years ago, and they were the heroes of my life. I try to practice my religion in a very devout way and follow the teachings of my church in my own personal life. But I don't believe in this nation, a First Amendment nation, where we don't raise any religion over the other, and we allow people to worship as they please, that the doctrines of any one religion should be mandated for everyone. For me, the hardest struggle in my faith life was the Catholic Church is against the death penalty and so am I. But I was governor of a state, and the state law said that there was a death penalty for crimes if the jury determined them to be heinous. And so I had to grapple with that.”[10]
- “[W]e really feel like you should live fully and with enthusiasm the commands of your faith. But it is not the role of the public servant to mandate that for everybody else. So let's talk about abortion and choice. Let's talk about them. We support Roe v. Wade. We support the constitutional right of American women to consult their own conscience, their own supportive partner, their own minister, but then make their own decision about pregnancy. That's something we trust American women to do that. And we don't think that women should be punished, as Donald Trump said they should, for making the decision to have an abortion.”[10]
Kaine's net worth
Personal Gain Index
- See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)
- See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)
The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:
PGI: Change in net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Kaine's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $713,048 to $2,045,000. That averages to $1,379,024, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senate members in 2012 of $13,566,333.90. Kaine ranked as the 59th most wealthy senator in 2012.[11] Between 2011 and 2012, Kaine‘s calculated net worth[12] increased by an average of 24 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[13]
| Tim Kaine Yearly Net Worth | |
|---|---|
| Year | Average Net Worth |
| 2011 | $1,109,502 |
| 2012 | $1,379,024 |
| Growth from 2011 to 2012: | 24% |
| Average annual growth: | 24%[14] |
| Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[15] | |
The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Tim + Kaine + vice + presidential + candidate
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ The New York Times, "Hillary Clinton Selects Tim Kaine, a Popular Senator From a Swing State, as Running Mate," July 22, 2016
- ↑ Twitter, "Hillary Clinton," July 22, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Virginia Senate Race - 2012 Election Center"
- ↑ Biography.com, "Tim Kaine Biography,” accessed August 1, 2013
- ↑ CNN, "Car chases and secret getaways: Tim Kaine's wild 78 hours," July 23, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Hillary Clinton Selects Tim Kaine, a Popular Senator from a Swing State, as Running Mate," July 22, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Vanilla nice: Why Hillary picked Kaine," July 22, 2016
- ↑ ABA News, "Tim Kaine Nominated as Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate," July 27, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Exclusive: Robert Barnett to play Mike Pence in Tim Kaine debate prep," September 17, 2016
- ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 The Washington Post, “The Mike Pence vs. Tim Kaine vice-presidential debate transcript, annotated,” October 5, 2016
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Kaine, 2012," accessed January 14, 2014
- ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or the member's first year in office (as noted in the chart below).
- ↑ This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
- ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
- ↑ This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
