Kaine Brings Pluses, Spotty Record to Veepstakes

Va. gov lands under the microscope
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 1, 2008 1:36 PM CDT
Kaine Brings Pluses, Spotty Record to Veepstakes
President Bush and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine laugh together during the 46th annual Independence Day celebration and naturalization ceremony in Charlottesville, Va., Friday, July 4, 2008.    (AP Photo/Megan Lovett, Pool)

Tim Kaine doesn’t like his vice presidential chances, the Wall Street Journal reports. “It's flattering to be mentioned,” he says. “My mom loves it. I still think it's more likely that he'll go in another direction.” His Kansas roots appeal to Midwestern voters, his fluent Spanish wins over Hispanics, and he’s governor of Virginia, a crucial swing state. So why aren’t state Republicans worried?

They say Kaine has precious few accomplishments as governor. Limited to just one term, past governors have focused on one or two big bipartisan achievements. But Kaine’s last project, a tax increase for road repairs, couldn't even get past the Democrats. “I've gotten a lot of stuff done,” Kaine counters, citing mental health and education intiatives. “You're not going to have a 1.000 batting average.” (More Tim Kaine stories.)

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