Government | Politics 2024: TIM KAINE

Labeled by supporters as “America’s Dad” for his level-headed, folksy and sometimes wonky demeanor, Democrat Kaine has been a fixture in Virginia politics since his 1994 election to Richmond City Council. From there, he became Richmond mayor, then Virginia’s lieutenant governor and governor. His 2006-10 term in the Executive Mansion was marked by both the Great Recession and the Virginia Tech shooting that left 32 dead.

The Kansas City native and attorney became Virginia’s junior senator in 2013; he is running for a third term this fall against Republican nominee Hung Cao, a retired Navy captain. In 2016, Kaine was Hillary Clinton’s running mate in her unsuccessful presidential bid.

In the Senate, Kaine serves on the Armed Services, Budget, Foreign Relations, and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committees. He was a vocal critic of federal legislation mandating completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which crosses six Virginia counties, and during the past year waged a pressure campaign against the U.S. Postal Service over chronic mail delivery problems in the Richmond region. A Catholic, Kaine has said he is personally against abortion but has voted to support women’s reproductive rights.