Clinton names Virginia Sen. Kaine as running mate

Hillary Clinton on Friday announced Virginia Sen. Timothy Kaine as her running mate, going with an experienced politician seen as a strong centrist who could attract independents and possibly disenchanted Republicans – and most certainly the safe pick.

In the final deliberations, Clinton was said to be weighing Kaine, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, having whittled down her short-list over the past several weeks.

In Kaine, who also is a former Virginia governor and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, her campaign is going not with a bulldog or political firestarter but a measured, moderate nice guy with swing-state appeal, including in his home battleground state of Virginia.

The pick comes as the Clinton campaign tries to paint newly anointed Republican nominee Donald Trump as divisive and dangerous, a theme they hit hard coming out of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

Kaine isn’t as liberal as some other VP prospects, notably class warrior Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. – and is unlikely to whip up the base like Clinton’s dogged primary rival Bernie Sanders. But Kaine is an ally, having endorsed Clinton early on in the campaign. He also speaks fluent Spanish, which could be useful in increasing the campaign’s reach among Hispanic voters.

Clinton’s announcement and move to seize the spotlight from Cleveland follows four days of steady attacks by Republicans against the presumptive Democratic nominee – over her email scandal, her reputation for poll-tested politics and her record in public office.

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