2018 General Election Elected 57 — 41
Today is election day.
Virginia is especially important. Today, Virginia elects a Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and representatives for every seat in the House of Delegates. Last year, Tim Kaine was on the ballot. To be Hilary Clinton’s Vice President.
Sadly Tim Kaine https://www.timkaine.com/ will be on the ballot in 2018 for reelection as US Senator. Today’s election is a harbinger of what may happen in Virginia in 2018 and throughout the country in 2018. Win or lose today — in Virginia and elsewhere — there is a lot to be done for 2018.
Tim Kaine is an incumbent Virginia US Senator. His running for reelection is sad because he is not the Vice President. In the 2016 campaign, we learned a lot about him. Midwestern nice (born in Minnesota, Bachelor’s Degree from Mizzou, he came to Virginia by way of Harvard Law School and a Jesuit mission to Honduras. He joined a Richmond law firm, taught at the University of Richmond, represented clients subject to housing discrimination. He had developed an interest in politics through his wife’s family. His father-in-law was a former Republican governor of Virginia.
Elected to the Richmond city council for his first term by a 97 vote majority; the council elected Tim Kainemayor in his third term. Tim Kaine had real successes as mayor. He built schools and created a regional magnet high school that attracted white and black students to Richmond from the suburbs and the city. He shifted gun crimes to federal court and cut the homicide rate almost in half. He opposed tax increases, supported tax abatements for renovated buildings, and oversaw a housing renovation boom. Tim Kaine used his position as a platform to support improving relations between whites and blacks. Sometimes symbolic issues were too much. Compromises about which pictures would appear on flood walls did not satisfy southern heritage groups or the NAACP.
While serving as mayor, Tim Kaine ran for Lt. Governor. The original candidate withdrew due to illness, urged him to run, and endorsed him. Tim Kaine won the primary and, with an echo of his first race, won the election with 50.35% of the vote.
With a one-term limitation on Virginia governors, Tim Kaine, like many Virginia Lt. Governors, ran for Governor four years after being elected. He won — emphasizing fiscal responsibility, his ties to the outgoing Governor (now Senator) Mark Warner while fending off attacks against his representation of a death-row inmate and his personal opposition to capital punishment. He promised to enforce Virginia’s laws including the death penalty regardless of his personal views.
Like all Virginia governors, Tim Kaine had a single four year term. That term included the 2007-8 Great Recession during which he cut the budget, reduced services, increased tuition at public universities, and earned praise for effective management. Tim Kaine had a successful early childhood initiative, accepted a Republican proposal (after the Democratic one failed) for road construction that relied on borrowing and repayment from the general fund, banned smoking in public buildings, and protected land from development.
Tim Kaine was President Obama’s choice for DNC Chair. Pressed to take the position after turning it down initially, he was successful in raising money, but less successful in protecting Democrats from the 2010 election debacle. Similarly, he was drafted to run for Senate in 2012 (This time there were multiple drafters). He won fairly easily after his opponent embarrassed himself using a vulgar and racist term toward a photographer.
In his reelection campaign website, Tim Kaine emphasizes his commitment to career and technical education, tying it to his experience in Honduras and noting his work with Rob Portman on education issues. Tim Kaine emphasizes his capacity to work in a bipartisan way. He notes his work with Jeff Flake toward declaring war on ISIS, his work with John McCain on revising the war powers act, his work with Bob Corker creating the framework for reviewing the nuclear agreement with Iran, his work with Shelly Moore Capito on stopping opioid abuse, his work with Lamar Alexander on revising No Child Left Behind.
Like his former running mate, preparation is important for Tim Kaine. He has prepared positions on several issue. His commitment to practicality shows through in every case. He explains his support for a cause and makes suggestions for modest, but effective solutions for that cause: Lower prescription drug costs to make Medicare work better, Two year budgets to create the stability required for job growth and economic prosperity, Use federal education loans for technical training, Higher pay for the military and job assistance for veterans as part of the effort to strengthen the economy.
Tim Kainehttps://www.timkaine.com/is not a shoo-in. According to Inside Elections, most of the Democrats running for reelection are in seats that are Solidly Democratic. Several of them are in seats that are toss ups, tilt Democratic, or lean democratic. Tim Kaine’sis the only Likely Democratic seat. Compared to others, Tim Kaine’sposition is not precarious, but he needs support. Monthly support is helpful — even if it is a small amount.
