Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D., Va.) pushed for Hillary Clinton to pick Virginia Senator Tim Kaine (D.) to be her running mate during an interview Wednesday on WTOP radio in Washington, D.C.
One of the radio hosts asked McAuliffe, a longtime Clinton ally, what he has heard from the Clinton campaign about the possibility of picking Kaine to be her vice presidential candidate and what kind of match he would be. Kaine is on Clinton’ s short list of potential running mates, and the presumptive Democratic nominee is expected to announce her pick by the Democratic National Convention next month in Philadelphia.
"Clearly, I think [Kaine is] the best person. I’m advocating very hard on this to both Secretary Clinton and former President Clinton," McAuliffe said. "My voice is very well known on the topic. Virginia is a key swing state for us. You win Virginia, it’s very hard for the Republicans to win the White House. You know, Tim on the foreign affairs, I mean he’s got, you know, mayor, lieutenant governor, governor, now the United States Senate. Very highly respected.
"I know one thing about Hillary Clinton, politics will come second," McAuliffe continued. "She is going to pick someone who she knows could take over and she can have a compatible relationship with. I think that’s probably the most important thing for Hillary."
McAuliffe added that he is involved in the VP search while pushing further for Kaine.
"Tim has the skill set. I think he’d be spectacular," McAuliffe said. " You know, it’s probably a bigger group than you probably actually see in the press. More people actually being talked to and considered, which is fine. We do and should look at all options that are out there. But, you know, I’ve weighed in and I don’t get in my personal conversations, I’ve actually had a long conversation this morning. So, I’m very active in this topic."
Kaine is considered at the top of Clinton’s list of potential running mates, but more progressive, left-leaning Democrats do not view Kaine as a good option. Many liberal Democrats, especially supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), view Kaine as not liberal enough to be on the ticket with Clinton.