Hillary Clinton told supporters on Friday night that she has chosen Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) to be her vice presidential running mate.
The news of the selection came in a tweet and a text message to supporters.
I’m thrilled to announce my running mate, @TimKaine, a man who’s devoted his life to fighting for others. -H pic.twitter.com/lTVyfztE5Z
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 23, 2016
.@TimKaine is a relentless optimist who believes no problem is unsolvable if you put in the work to solve it.https://t.co/pui1WFEVpS
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 23, 2016
Clinton is expected to formally introduce Kaine at an event in Miami on Saturday afternoon, according to NBC News.
Kaine was elected to the Senate in 2012 after serving as governor of Virginia and chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He was raised in Kansas City, Missouri, and is fluent in Spanish. The senator has been viewed as a safe pick, but as his name has been floated, liberals have expressed concern about his positions on trade and abortion.
In the final days leading up to the announcement, news outlets reported that Clinton had narrowed down her picks to Kaine, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Labor Secretary Thomas Perez. And on Friday morning, the New York Times reported that “Democrats close to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign signaled strongly Thursday that she would choose Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia as her running mate.”
Also in the running were Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who has campaigned with Clinton, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who met with the former secretary of state on Friday morning.