After months of speculation, Hillary
Clinton on Friday announced that Virginia Senator Tim Kaine was her
choice for her vice president.
“I'm thrilled to announce my running
mate, @TimKaine, a man who's devoted his life to fighting for others.
-H,” Clinton messaged her more than 7.6 million followers on
Twitter.
NPR listed five things people need to
know about Kaine, including “He's never lost an election; He's
fluent in Spanish; He has a son in the military; He officiates
weddings; He plays the harmonica.”
Chad Griffin, president of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), which has endorsed Clinton, applauded the
choice of Kaine, who received a 90 percent rating from the HRC.
“While Donald Trump doubled down on
discrimination by picking Mike Pence, Hillary Clinton has bolstered
her campaign's historic commitment to LGBTQ equality by choosing Tim
Kaine,” Griffin said in a blog post. “Having proven time and time
again that they have the experience, determination, and leadership
needed to move equality forward for all Americans, we are confident
Clinton and Kaine will tear down the walls of discrimination that
hold all of us back. The stakes for LGBTQ people in this election
couldn’t be higher, and the choice for pro-equality voters couldn’t
be clearer.”
Equality California Executive Director
Rick Zbur, who described Kaine as “solidly pro-LGBT equality,”
also cheered the move: “With her selection of Sen. Tim Kaine,
Hillary Clinton has highlighted the stark differences between her
ticket and her opponent’s. In contrast to the extremes of racism,
xenophobia, sexism, and homo- and transphobia on vivid display by
Donald Trump and his running mate, Kaine presents an alternative: a
pragmatist who works across ideologies and across the aisle to get
things done.”