Kaine Brings Pluses, Spotty Record to Veepstakes

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.)