Tim Kaine

Not to be confused with Tim Kane.

Tim Kaine
United States Senator from Virginia
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013 Serving with Mark Warner
Preceded by	Jim Webb
Chair of the Democratic National Committee
In office January 21, 2009 – April 5, 2011
Preceded by	Howard Dean
Succeeded by	Donna Brazile (Acting)
70th Governor of Virginia
In office January 14, 2006 – January 16, 2010
Lieutenant	Bill Bolling
Preceded by	Mark Warner
Succeeded by	Bob McDonnell
38th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
In office January 12, 2002 – January 14, 2006
Governor	Mark Warner
Preceded by	John Hager
Succeeded by	Bill Bolling
76th Mayor of Richmond
In office July 1, 1998 – September 10, 2001
Preceded by	Larry Chavis
Succeeded by	Rudy McCollum
Personal details
Born	Timothy Michael Kaine (1958-02-26) February 26, 1958 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Anne Holton (1984–present)
Children	Nat Woody Annella
Alma mater	University of Missouri, Columbia Harvard University
Signature
Website	Senate website

Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine (born February 26, 1958) is an American politician serving as the junior United States Senator from Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, Kaine was elected to the Senate in 2012.

Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Kaine earned a law degree from Harvard Law School before entering private practice and becoming a lecturer at the University of Richmond School of Law. Kaine was first elected to public office in 1994, when he won a seat on the Richmond, Virginia City Council. He was then elected Mayor of Richmond in 1998, serving in that position until being elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2002.

Kaine declared his candidacy for governor of Virginia in 2005 in a bid to replace Mark Warner (who was constitutionally precluded from serving another term). Kaine won in an uncontested Democratic primary, and faced Republican Attorney General Jerry Kilgore in the general election; Kaine won with 51% of the vote, to Kilgore's 46%. Kaine served as governor from 2006 to 2010. Upon becoming governor, Kaine gave the Democratic response to the 2006 State of the Union Address. He was considered a top contender for running mate in Senator Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign, but instead became the 51st Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, serving from 2009 to 2011.

In 2012, after incumbent Senator Jim Webb announced he would retire, Kaine declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Kaine prevailed in the Democratic primary and faced former Senator and Virginia Governor George Allen in the general election. In the November 2012 election, Kaine won with 53% of the vote to Allen's 47%. Kaine was sworn into office on January 3, 2013.

Kaine is considered to be on Hillary Clinton's shortlist to be her running mate for the 2016 presidential election.

Early life and education

Kaine was born at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is the eldest of three sons Kaine was born to Mary Kathleen (née Burns) and Albert Alexander Kaine, Jr., a welder and the owner of a small iron-working shop. He was raised Catholic. Kaine's father is of Scottish and Irish ancestry, and his mother is of Irish descent. Kaine grew up in the Kansas City area and graduated from Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kaine received his B.A. in economics from the University of Missouri in 1979, completing his degree in three years. Kaine was a Coro Foundation fellow in Kansas City in 1978. He then attended Harvard Law School, taking a break during law school to work with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Honduras. Kaine worked in Honduras for nine months from 1980 to 1981, helping Jesuit missionaries who ran a Catholic school in El Progreso. Kaine is fluent in Spanish as a result of his year in Honduras.

Kaine graduated from Harvard Law School with a law degree in 1983, and was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1984.

Legal career and Richmond City Council

Kaine practiced law in Richmond for 17 years, specializing in fair housing law and representing clients discriminated against on the basis of race or disability. Kaine was an adjunct professor for University of Richmond Law School for six years, teaching legal ethics. His students included future Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring.

In May 1994, Kaine was elected to the city council of the independent city of Richmond, from the City's 2nd District. He served four terms on the council, the latter two as mayor.

Mayor of Richmond (1998–2001)

In July 1998, Kaine was elected mayor of Richmond, succeeding Larry Chavis. He was chosen by a majority-black City Council, becoming the city's first white mayor in more than ten years, which was viewed as a surprise. (Until 2004, the mayor of Richmond was chosen by the city council from among its membership; under the present system, the mayor is chosen by popular vote.) Previous mayors had treated the role as primarily ceremonial one, with the city manager effectively operating the city; Kaine treated the office as a full-time, taking a more hands-on role.

As mayor, Kaine used a sale-leaseback arrangement to obtain funds to renovate the historic Maggie L. Walker High School and reopen it in 2000 as a magnet governor's school, the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies, which "now serves the top students in Central Virginia." Three elementary schools and one middle school were also built in Richmond under Kaine.

Along with Commonwealth's Attorney David Hicks, U.S. Attorney James Comey, and Police Chief Jerry Oliver, Kaine was a support of Project Exile, a "controversial but effective program" that shifted gun crimes to federal court, where armed defendants faced harsher sentences. The effort "won broad political support" and helped the city drop its homicide rate by 55% over Kaine's tenure in office. Kaine later touted the success of Project Exile during his campaign for lieutenant governor in 2001.

On several occasions, Kaine voted in opposition to tax increases, and supported a tax abatement program for renovated buildings, which was credited for a housing-renovation boom in the city. Richmond was named one of "the 10 best cities in America to do business" by Forbes magazine during Kaine's term.

According to John Moeser, a professor emeritus of urban studies and planning at Virginia Commonwealth University and later a visiting fellow at the University of Richmond's Center for Civic Engagement, during his time as mayor Kaine "was energetic, charismatic and, most important, spoke openly about his commitment to racial reconciliation in Richmond." In the early part of his term, Kaine issued an apology for the city's role in slavery, the apology was generally well received as "a genuine, heartfelt expression." In the latter part of his term, a contentious debate took place in the city over the inclusion of a portrait of Confederate general Robert E. Lee in a set of historic murals to be placed on city floodwalls; Kaine came out in favor of Lee's inclusion, arguing that placing Lee on the floodwall made sense in context.

During his tenure as mayor, Kaine drew criticism for spending $6,000 in public funds on buses to the Million Mom March, an anti-gun-violence rally in Washington, D.C.; after a backlash, Kaine raised the money privately and reimbursed the city.

Lieutenant governor of Virginia (2002–2005)

Kaine ran for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 2001. In the Democratic primary election, Kaine ran against state Delegate Alan A. Diamonstein of Newport News, and state Delegate Jerrauld C. Jones of Norfolk. Kaine was victorious, winning 39.7% and defeating Diamonstein, who received 31.4%, and Jones, who received 28.9%.

In the general election, Kaine won with 925,974 votes (50.35%), of the vote, narrowly edging out his Republican opponent, state Delegate Jay Katzen, who received 883,886 votes (48.06%). Libertarian Gary Reams received 28,783 votes (1.57%).

Kaine was inaugurated on January 12, 2002, and was sworn in by his wife Anne Holton, a state judge.

2005 gubernatorial election

Main article: Virginia gubernatorial election, 2005

Tim Kaine at the Covington
Labor Day Parade

In 2005, Kaine ran for governor of Virginia against Republican candidate Jerry W. Kilgore, a former state attorney general. Kaine was considered an underdog for most of the race, trailing in polls for most of the election. Two polls released in September 2005 showed Kaine trailing Kilgore—by four percentage points in a Washington Post poll and by one percentage point in a Mason-Dixon/Roanoke Times poll. The final opinion polls of the race before the November election showed Kaine slightly edging ahead of Kilgore.

Kaine ultimately prevailed, winning 1,025,942 votes (51.7%) to Kilgore's 912,327 (46.0%). (A third candidate—independent state Senator H. Russell Potts Jr., who ran as an "independent Republican"—received 43,953 votes (2.2%)).

Kaine emphasized fiscal responsibility and a centrist message. He expressed support for controlling sprawl and tackling longstanding traffic issues, an issue that resonated in the exurbs of northern Virginia. He benefited from his association with the popular outgoing Democratic governor, Mark Warner, who had performed well in traditionally Republican areas of the state. On the campaign trail, Kaine referred to the "Warner-Kaine administration" in speeches and received the strong backing of Warner. Kilgore later attributed his defeat to Warner's high popularity and the "plummeting popularity" of Republican President George W. Bush, who held one rally with Kilgore on the campaign's final day.

The campaign turned sharply negative in its final weeks, with Kilgore running television attack ads that claimed, incorrectly, that Kaine believed that "Hitler doesn't qualify for the death penalty." The ads also attacked Kaine for his service ten years earlier as a court-appointed attorney for a death-row inmate. The Republican ad was denounced by the editorial boards of the Washington Post and a number of Virginia newspapers as a "smear" and "dishonest." Kaine responded with an ad "in which he told voters that he opposes capital punishment but would take an oath and enforce the death penalty. In later polls, voters said they believed Kaine's response and were angered by Kilgore's negative ads."

In the election, Kaine won by large margins in the Democratic strongholds such as Richmond and Northern Virginia's inner suburbs (such as Alexandria and Arlington), as well as in the Democratic-trending Fairfax County. Kaine also won Republican-leaning areas in Northern Virginia's outer suburbs, including Prince William County and Loudoun County, where George W. Bush had beat John Kerry in the previous year's presidential election, and performed "surprisingly well in Republican strongholds like Virginia Beach and Chesapeake." Kaine also defeated Kilgore in the burgeoning Richmond suburbs. Kilgore led in southwest Virginia and in the Shenandoah Valley.

Governor of Virginia (2006–2010)

Tim Kaine, 5th man from right, with Virginia Tech officials, receives East Carolina University donation to Virginia Tech memorial fund during Hokies' 2007 football home opener

Kaine was sworn in as governor at the colonial Capitol at Williamsburg, on January 14, 2006, the first governor since Thomas Jefferson to be inaugurated there.

Kaine served as chairman of the Southern Governors' Association from 2008 to 2009.

Democratic response to State of the Union address

On January 31, 2006, Kaine gave the Democratic response to President George W. Bush's 2006 State of the Union address. In it, Kaine criticized the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act for "wreaking havoc on local school districts"; criticized congressional Republicans for cutting student loan programs; and condemned as "reckless" Bush's spending increases and tax cuts. Kaine praised bipartisan initiatives in Virginia "to make record investments in education" and to improve veterans' access to veterans' benefits.

Budget special session

In March 2006, after the Virginia General Assembly failed to come up with a budget, Kaine called for a special session that continued until June. The debate was over transportation issues and how to fund current and new projects. Most of the debate originated in a struggle within the Republican-controlled Senate and House of Delegates. In 2007, however, a transportation bill was passed and signed into law by Kaine.

Energy, the environment, and conservation

As governor, Kaine successfully protected 400,000 acres (1,600 km²) of Virginia land from development, fulfilling a promise that he made in 2005. Kaine's conservation efforts focused on conservation easements (voluntary easements that preserve the private ownership of a piece of land while also permanently protecting it from development); a substantial Virginia land preservation tax credit encouraged easements. From 2004 to 2009, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (a quasi-governmental entity set up in 1966 to preserve open land in the state) protected more land than it had in the previous forty years, a fact touted by Kaine as his term drew to a close.

As governor, Kaine established the Climate Change Commission, a bipartisan panel to study climate change issues. The panel was shuttered under Kaine's Republican successor, Governor Robert F. McDonnell, but was revived (as the Governor's Climate Change and Resiliency Update Commission) under his successor, Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe.

Kaine supported a coal-fired power plant project in Wise County, clashing with environmentalists who opposed the project.

In 2009, Kaine expressed support for tighter restrictions on mountaintop removal coal mining imposed by the Obama administration.

Civil War records

In October 2006, Kaine announced that Virginia would be the first state to index and digitize records from the Reconstruction-era Freedmen's Bureau, facilitating research into post-Civil War African-American history.

Healthcare and public health

Gov. Kaine with U.S. Senators
John Warner and George Allen

In October 2006, Kaine signed an executive order banning smoking in all government buildings and state-owned cars as of January 1, 2007. He signed legislation banning smoking in restaurants and bars, with some exceptions, in March 2009, making Virginia the first Southern state to do so.

In 2007, the Republican-controlled Virginia General Assembly passed legislation, with "overwhelming bipartisan support," to require girls to receive the HPV vaccine (which immunizes recipients against a virus that causes cervical cancer) before entering high school. Kaine expressed "some qualms" about the legislation and pushed for a strong opt-out provision, ultimately signing a bill that included a provision allowing parents to opt out of the requirement without citing a reason.

In 2007, Kaine secured increases in state funding for nursing in the Virginia General Assembly, announce a 10% salary increase for nursing faculty above the normal salary increase for state employees, plus additional funds for scholarships for nursing master's programs. The initiatives were aimed at addressing a shortage of practicing nurses.

Virginia Tech shooting

When news of the Virginia Tech shootings broke, Kaine canceled a trade mission to Japan and India to attend to the situation. Kaine spoke at the convocation held in Blacksburg the day after the shooting in which he invoked the Biblical story of Job.

Following the massacre, in which 32 people were killed, Kaine appointed the eight-member Virginia Tech Review Panel, chaired by retired Virginia State Police superintendent W. Gerald Massengill to probe "the entire event." The commission members includes various "specialists in psychology, law, forensics and higher education" as well as former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge. The commission first met in May 2007, and issued its findings and recommendations on August 2007.

In April 2007, Kaine signed an executive order instructing state agencies to step up efforts to block gun sales to people involuntarily committed to inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment centers. Kaine's quick return to the state and his handling of the issue received widespread praise.

Economy

Kaine's greatest challenge as governor came during the 2008-09 economic crisis, and "perhaps his greatest success was keeping the state running despite it." The Washington Post noted: "Unable to raise taxes and required by law to balance the budget, he was forced to make unpopular cuts that led to such things as shuttered highway rest stops and higher public university tuition." John W. Schoen noted that as governor, Kaine developed a "solid economic record." In the midst of the Great Recession, unemployment in Virginia remained lower than the national average.

Infrastructure and transportation

In July 2007, during the debate on the Silver Line of the Washington Metro through Tysons Corner, Kaine supported an elevated track solution in preference to a tunnel, citing costs and potential delays that would put federal funding at risk.

In 2006, Kaine pressed Republicans in the House of Delegates to support a legislative package to ease severe traffic congestion by spending $1.1 billion in repairs for aging roads and other other transportation projects. The House was ultimately unwilling to approve the taxes necessary to carry out the project, however, and the effort failed.

Education

In 2008, Kaine backed a $22 million proposal in the Virginia General Assembly to make pre-kindergarten education more accessible to at-risk four-year-olds.

Cabinet and appointments

• Chief of Staff — William Leighty (2006–2007), Wayne Turnage (2007–2010)
• Secretary of Administration – Viola Baskerville (2006–2010)
• Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry – Robert Bloxom (2006–2010)
• Secretary of Commerce and Trade – Patrick Gottschalk (2006–2010)
• Secretary of the Commonwealth – Katherine Hanley (2006–2010)
• Secretary of Education – Thomas Morris (2006–2010)
• Secretary of Finance – Jody Wagner (2006–2008), Richard D. Brown (2008–2010)
• Secretary of Health and Human Resources – Marilyn Tavenner (2006–2010)
• Secretary of Natural Resources – Preston Bryant (2006–2010)
• Secretary of Public Safety – John W. Marshall (2006–2010)
• Secretary of Technology – Aneesh Chopra (2006–2009), Leonard M. Pomata (2009–2010)
• Secretary of Transportation – Pierce Homer (2006–2010)
• Assistant for Commonwealth Preparedness – Robert P. Crouch (2006–2010)
• Senior Advisor for Workforce – Daniel G. LeBlanc (2006–2010)

As governor, Kaine made a number of appointments to the Virginia state courts. In 2007, Kaine appointed Chesapeake Circuit Judge S. Bernard Goodwyn to the Supreme Court of Virginia and Prince William County Circuit Judge LeRoy F. Millette, Jr. to the Court of Appeals of Virginia.

Kaine appointed Esam Omeish to the Virginia Commission on Immigration, which was examining whether Virginia should do more to restrict illegal immigration. In September 2007, Omeish resigned as a commission member—as requested by Kaine—three hours after remarks made by Omeish on a call-in show on WRVA radio in Richmond were brought to Kaine's attention, specifically his criticisms of the Israel lobby and call for Bush's impeachment on account of the Iraq War. "I have been made aware of certain statements he has made which concern me," Kaine said in accepting Omeish's resignation. Kaine added that background checks would be more thorough in the future.

2008 vice presidential speculation

Main article: United States presidential election, 2008

See also: Democratic Party (United States) vice presidential candidates, 2008

Barack Obama campaigned for
Tim Kaine in 2005 for the
gubernatorial election.

Kaine was considered as a possible running mate for Barack Obama in 2008, but was not chosen. Kaine first supported Senator Obama's presidential bid in February 2007. It was maintained that Kaine's endorsement was the first from a statewide elected official outside of Illinois. Since Kaine was a relatively popular governor of a southern state, there was media speculation that he was a potential nominee for Vice President. Obama had supported Kaine in his campaign for governor and had said about him: "Tim Kaine has a message of fiscal responsibility and generosity of spirit. That kind of message can sell anywhere." On July 28, 2008, Politico reported that Kaine was "very, very high" on Obama's shortlist for vice president, a list which also included then Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, and Senator Joe Biden of Delaware. Obama ultimately selected Biden to become the vice-presidential nominee.

Democratic National Committee chair (2009–2011)

In January 2009, Kaine became the Chair of the Democratic National Committee. He took the position at the request of President Obama, and during his tenure he oversaw a significant expansion of the party's grassroots focus through Organizing for America.

In February 2011, it was reported that President Obama had joined Wisconsin's budget battle and would oppose the Republican anti-union bill. The Washington Post reported that Organizing for America, the political operation for the White House, got involved after Kaine spoke to union leaders in Madison. They made phone calls, sent emails, and distributed messages via Facebook and Twitter to work on building crowds for the rallies.

After completing his term as governor in January 2010, Kaine taught part-time at the University of Richmond, teaching a course in spring 2010 at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies and another in fall 2010 at the University of Richmond School of Law. Kaine explained that he had chosen to teach at a private university, rather than public university, "because it would not have been right for a sitting governor to be seeking employment at an institution when he writes the budget and appoints the board of the institution."

United States Senate

2012 election

Main article: United States Senate election in Virginia, 2012

Kaine announced on April 5, 2011 that he would run for United States Senate in 2012, following Senator Jim Webb's decision not to seek re-election. Kaine filmed announcement videos in English and Spanish. Kaine was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Kaine defeated former Senator and Governor George Allen in the general election. Mike Henry was chosen as Kaine's campaign manager.

Tenure

Kaine was sworn in for a six-year term on January 3, 2013, reuniting him with Mark Warner, the senior senator. When Warner was governor of Virginia, Kaine was his lieutenant governor.

On June 11, 2013, Kaine delivered a speech on the Senate floor in support of the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" immigration bill. The speech was entirely in Spanish, marking the first time a Senator had ever made a speech on the Senate floor in a language other than English.

While in the Senate, Kaine has continued to teach part-time at the University of Richmond, receiving a salary of $16,000 per year.

Committee assignments and caucuses

In the 113th Congress (2013-15), Kaine served on the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on the Budget, and the Committee on Foreign Relations. In the current (114th) Congress, Kaine serves on the same three committees, plus the Special Committee on Aging. In July 2013, Kaine was named chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism.

Within the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kaine serves on the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support (for which he is the ranking member), and the the Subcommittee on Seapower.

Within the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Kaine serves on the Subcommittee on State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development (for which he is the ranking member), the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, the Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, and the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights and Global Women's Issues.

In January 2014, Kaine, with Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, established the bipartisan Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus (CTE Caucus), which focuses on vocational education and technical education. Kaine and Portman co-chair the caucus. In 2014, Kaine and Portman introduced the CTE Excellence and Equity Act to the Senate; the legislation would provide $500 million in federal funding, distributed by competitive grants, to high schools to further CTE programs. The legislation, introduced as an amendment to the omnibus Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, would promote apprenticeships and similar initiatives.

2016 vice presidential speculation

Main article: United States presidential election, 2016

See also: Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, 2016

Kaine endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential bid in 2016, and campaigned actively for Clinton in seven states during the primaries. He has been the subject of considerable speculation as a possible running mate for Clinton, with several news reports indicating that he is at or near the top of Clinton's list of people under consideration, alongside figures such as Elizabeth Warren and Julian Castro.

On July 19, 2016, the Washington Post reported that Kaine was on Hillary Clinton's two-person shortlist to be her running mate for that year's presidential election. The next day, the New York Times reported that Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, had privately backed Kaine as his wife's vice-presidential selection, noting his domestic and national security resume. If selected, Kaine would be the first Virginian to serve on a major party's national ticket since John Tyler ran on the Whig ticket in the 1840 election.

Political positions

Reproductive rights

Kaine, a Roman Catholic, is personally against abortion, but is "largely inclined to keep the law out of women's reproductive decisions." Kaine has said: "I have a traditional Catholic personal position, but I am very strongly supportive that women should make these decisions and government shouldn't intrude. I'm a strong supporter of Roe v. Wade and women being able to make these decisions. In government, we have enough things to worry about. We don't need to make people's reproductive decisions for them." Kaine supports some legal restrictions on abortion, such as requiring parental consent and banning late-term abortions in cases where the woman's life is not at risk.

Kaine previously criticized the Obama administration for "not providing a 'broad enough religious employer exemption'" in the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act, but praised a 2012 amendment to the regulations that allowed insurers to provide birth control to employees when an employer was an objecting religious organizations.

In 2005, when running for governor, Kaine said he favored reducing abortions by: (1) "Enforcing the current Virginia restrictions on abortion and passing an enforceable ban on partial birth abortion that protects the life and health of the mother"; (2) "Fighting teen pregnancy through abstinence-focused education"; (3) "Ensuring women's access to health care (including legal contraception) and economic opportunity"; and (4) "Promoting adoption as an alternative for women facing unwanted pregnancies."

In 2007, as governor, Kaine cut off state funding for abstinence-only sex education programs, citing studies which showed that such programs were ineffective, while comprehensive sex education programs were more effective. A Kaine spokesman indicated that Kaine believes that both abstinence and contraceptives must be taught, and that education should be evidence-based.

Afghanistan and ISIL

On the issue of the war in Afghanistan, Kaine's website states "The main mission in Afghanistan—destroying Al Qaeda—is nearly complete and we should bring our troops home as quickly as we can, consistent with the need to make sure that Afghanistan poses no danger in the broader region."

In November 2014, at the Halifax International Security Forum, Kaine, together with Senator John McCain, emphasized the necessity of congressional authorization for U.S. military operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), saying: "You just can't have a war without Congress."

On December 11, 2014 after a five-month campaign by Kaine, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved by 10–8 (straight party lines) a measure authorizing military force against the ISIL, but barring the use of ground troops.

Trade

Kaine supported granting President Obama Trade Promotion Authority (TPA or "fast track") to allow him to negotiate free trade agreements. “All agree that trade, under the right conditions, benefits our economy…After much discussion with labour, agriculture and business leaders, I will support TPA because it gives the U.S. the best chance of elevating the standards for global trade in ways that will level the playing field for workers, farmers and companies.”

In July 2016, Kaine praised the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement as "an improvement of the status quo, but maintained that he had not yet decided how to vote on final approval of the agreement."

Capital punishment

Despite his personal opposition to capital punishment, often cited during the 2005 campaign by both sides, Kaine oversaw eleven executions as governor, including the execution of John Allen Muhammad, the Beltway Sniper, on November 10, 2009. He has vetoed eight death-penalty expansion bills although some of the vetoes were overridden, and opposed the electric chair as an option. In June 2008, Kaine commuted the death sentence of Percy Levar Walton to life imprisonment without parole on grounds on mental incompetence, writing that "one cannot reasonably conclude that Walton is fully aware of the punishment he is about to suffer and why he is to suffer it" and thus executing him would be unconstitutional.

Kaine said: "I really struggled with [capital punishment] as governor. I have a moral position against the death penalty. But I took an oath of office to uphold it. Following an oath of office is also a moral obligation."

Energy and climate change

Kaine endorses a comprehensive energy plan. Kaine acknowledges the scientific consensus on climate change, and in a speech on the Senate floor in 2014 criticized both "science deniers" (who deny climate change) and what he termed "leadership deniers"—people who "may not deny the climate science, but they deny that the U.S. can or should be a leader in taking any steps." He has expressed concern about sea level rise, and in particular its effect on coastal Virginia. Kaine endorses an incremental approach toward moving to clean energy, saying that it is imperative " to convert coal to electricity with less pollution than we do today." He has criticized those who "frame the debate as a conflict between an economy and the environment," saying that "Protecting the environment is good for the economy."

Kaine supports the use of fossil fuels as a bridge source of energy, and co-sponsored the Advanced Clean Coal Technology Investment in Our Nation (ACCTION) Act, legislation to stimulate large-scale federal and private sector investment in clean coal technologies. However, he voted against passage of legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Kaine supports the use of hydraulic fracturing technology (fracking) that has allowed the US to access natural gas in shale formations. He sees use of natural gas as a way to reduce carbon pollution.

Like his fellow senator from Virginia, Mark Warner, Kaine applauded the U.S. Forest Service's compromise plan to close most, but not all, of the George Washington National Forest to hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") and other horizontal drilling activities.

Kaine supports oil and gas exploration off the Atlantic Coast, saying, "I have long believed that the moratorium on offshore drilling, based on a cost-benefit calculation performed decades ago, should be re-examined." He also supports the development solar energy and of offshore wind turbines.

Healthcare

Kaine supported passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009 ("Obamacare"), saying in 2012: "I was a supporter and remain a supporter of the Affordable Care Act. I felt like it was a statement that we were going to put some things in the rear-view mirror." In 2013, Kaine said that he agreed that changes to the ACA should be debated, but criticized Republicans for "wrapping them up with the threat" of a federal government shutdown.

As governor, Kaine set up a review panel following the Virginia Tech shooting, and subsequently proposed many mental health reforms reflecting the panel's recommendations. Kaine specifically proposed $42 million of investment in mental health programs and reforms, included "boosting access to outpatient and emergency mental health services, increasing the number of case managers and improving monitoring of community-based providers."

LGBT rights

In March 2013, Kaine announced his support of same-sex marriage, saying "I believe all people, regardless of sexual orientation, should be guaranteed the full rights to the legal benefits and responsibilities of marriage under the Constitution."

In the Senate, Kaine has co-sponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would bar employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Kaine's position on LGBT adoption has changed over time. In 2005, Kaine said that "No couples in Virginia can adopt other than a married couple — that's the right policy." In 2011, however, Kaine shifted his position to become more open to the idea. Kaine said he believed that the judges would be able to make effective case-by-case analyses when dealing with unmarried couples applying to be possible parents. He said that he was open to consideration being made available to all couples, gay or straight. In 2012, he stated that "There should be a license that would entitle a committed couple to the same rights as a married couple."

Local issues

Kaine supports some "smart growth"–style policies to manage sprawl and transportation issues; he refers to these plans as "balanced growth".

Taxes

Kaine says he supports allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for those with high incomes.

In 2012, Kaine supported raising the cap on income subject for the FICA (Social Security) payroll tax "so that it covers a similar percentage of income as it did in the 1980s under President Reagan, which would greatly extend the solvency of the (Social Security) program."

In the Senate, Kaine has supported the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would allow states to require online retailers to collect the same sales taxes in the same manner as traditional brick-and-mortar retailers collect.

Electoral history

Virginia Senate Election 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tim Kaine	2,010,067	52.9
	Republican	George Allen	1,785,542	47.0

Virginia Gubernatorial Election 2005

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tim Kaine	1,025,942	51.7
	Republican	Jerry Kilgore	912,327	46.0

Virginia Lieutenant Governor Election 2001

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tim Kaine	925,974	50.4
	Republican	Jay K. Katzen	883,886	48.0
	Libertarian	Gary Reams	28,783	1.6

Virginia Lieutenant Governor Democratic Primary Election 2001

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tim Kaine	64,008	39.7
	Democratic	Alan Diamonstein	50,753	31.5
	Democratic	J. C. Jones	46,640	28.9

Personal life

In 1984, Kaine married Anne Bright Holton, the daughter of former Virginia governor A. Linwood Holton, Jr. The couple met while they were both students at Harvard Law School. Holton has served as a judge for juvenile and domestic relations court in Richmond and, after serving as first lady of Virginia during her husband's term, was appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe in January 2014 to be Virginia Education Secretary.

The couple has three children: Nat, Woody, and Annella.

Further reading

Senator

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart

Governor

• 2005 campaign contributions at the Virginia Public Access Project
• Mason Asks: Tim Kaine Mike Lucier, "Mason Votes", April 27, 2012
• Moving Virginia Forward Archived Web Site, 2007 part of Virginia's Political Landscape, 2007 Web Archive Collection at Virginia Memory
• Moving Virginia Forward Archived Web Site, 2009 part of Virginia's Political Landscape, 2009 Web Archive Collection at Virginia Memory
• Tim Kaine for Governor Archived Web Site, 2005-2006 part of Virginia's Political Landscape, Fall 2005 Web Archive Collection at Virginia Memory
• Governor Tim Kaine Administration Web Site Archive, 2006-2010
• Kaine Email Project at LVA at Virginia Memory

External links

• U.S. Senate website
• Tim Kaine for Senate
• Tim Kaine at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN