Tim Kaine

Party: Democrat
State: Virginia
What you need to know: As DNC Chairman, Kaine went on the record in support of the ratification of the New START treaty.

Democrat - Open Seat
Endorsed for U.S. Senate by Council for a Livable World

One of the most popular Democrats in the country is making a bid for the U.S. Senate in Virginia. Former Governor and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine is running for the seat being vacated by Senator Jim Webb (D) in what is sure to be one of the marquee races of the 2012 election cycle.

Virginia, once a solidly red state, has now become a battleground state where both parties are competitive. As Governor, Kaine balanced Virginia’s budget during one of the worst economic periods in a generation. He cut more than $5 billion in spending while still finding funds to invest in key priorities like transportation projects and higher education. During the 2008 elections, Governor Kaine campaigned hard for Democrats across Virginia as well as President Obama. His efforts helped deliver Virginia’s 13 electoral votes to Barack Obama. It was the first time in 11 elections that the state had supported the Democratic nominee for President.

Kaine’s most likely opponent is former U.S. Senator George Allen (R), although Allen faces primary competition that is pulling him to the right. In 2006 Sen. Jim Webb defeated Allen by .3% of the vote in one of the closest elections in the country. The Virginia race was the last in the country to declare its results, and thus was the race that switched control of the U.S. Senate to the Democrats.

Tim Kaine, who has never turned away from taking practical and progressive positions on tough issues, supports approval of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and new nuclear reductions negotiations with Russia building on the success of the New START Treaty. Kaine supports the goal of securing and retrieving vulnerable nuclear-weapons usable materials worldwide within four years.

As DNC Chairman, Kaine went on the record in support of the ratification of New START, the nuclear arms reduction treaty.

“This treaty fulfills one of President Obama’s fundamental promises by moving the United States an important step closer to a safer, more peaceful, world that is working toward the elimination of nuclear weapons... I hope that we will see a strong and prompt bipartisan effort in the United States Senate to embrace this step forward and ratify the new START treaty.”

By contrast, Allen topped out at an abysmal 8% on Council for a Livable World’s voting scorecard during his 6 years in the U.S. Senate. Allen voted against an investigation of detainee abuses by the Bush administration, for the authorization to go to war in Iraq, for the nomination of John Bolton as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and for building new nuclear weapons.

Born in Minnesota and raised near Kansas City, Tim Kaine grew up working in his father’s ironworking shop. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s in economics, Kaine later attended Harvard Law School where he earned his law degree. He took a year off during his law school education to work as a Jesuit missionary in Honduras, where he put his ironworking experience to use as the principal of a technical school.

Kaine practiced law for 17 years representing people who had been denied housing opportunities based on race or disability and has been recognized as a fair housing advocate by organizations around the country. Kaine also began teaching legal ethics at the University of Richmond Law School, which he has continued to do throughout his career.

Kaine’s participation in politics began in 1994 when he was elected to the Richmond City Council. He went on to become mayor of Richmond four years later. During his two terms as mayor, Richmond saw a significant drop in the city’s crime rate and began building the first new schools in a generation.

Following his tenure as mayor, he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and, in 2005, Kaine was elected Governor. During his term, the state was given a variety of honors including: Best Managed State in America, Best State for Business and a AAA bond rating for fiscal management. He left office with one of the highest popularity ratings of a large state governor in the country.

Although George Allen was voted out of his Senate seat, recent polling has shown that he will be a tough competitor for Kaine. Numerous polls have shown the two candidates tied, a status likely to continue until November 2012. All the political prognosticators call this contest a toss-up.

And Kaine isn’t just up against Allen. Crossroads GPS, a group within Karl Rove’s Super PAC, has already launched a $600,000 ad campaign against Tim Kaine. But Kaine is up to the challenge. Although he entered the race three months later than Allen, he has been a successful fundraiser with nearly $1.3 million cash on hand, to Allen’s $900,000.

Tim Kaine will be a valuable member of United States Senate who will fight for the issues that matter to Council supporters.

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