Hillary Clinton announces Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate

Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton announced Virginia U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine is her choice as vice president.

Kaine, elected in 2012, is a former Virginia governor and lieutenant governor. Fluent in Spanish, Kaine serves on the Armed Services and Budget committees in the Senate.

Picking Kaine would presumably help Clinton firm up Virginia in November. The state narrowly went for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. He is generally considered a safe, moderate, pick for Clinton, and is a seasoned politician with few negatives.

Other candidates for the nomination reportedly included Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.
The Clinton campaign wanted the important announcement to follow shortly after the Republican National Convention wrapped up Thursday in Cleveland.

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