Tim Kaine
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| Timothy Michael Kaine | |
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70th Governor of Virginia
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2006 |
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| Lieutenant | William T. Bolling |
| Preceded by | Mark Warner |
| Succeeded by | Incumbent (2010) |
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| In office January 14, 2002 – January 14, 2006 |
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| Governor | Mark Warner |
| Preceded by | John H. Hager |
| Succeeded by | Bill Bolling |
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| In office 1998 – 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Larry E. Chavis |
| Succeeded by | Rudolph McCollum Jr. |
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Member of the Richmond City Council
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| In office 1994 – 1998 |
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| Born | February 26, 1958 St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Anne Holton |
| Alma mater | University of Missouri–Columbia Harvard Law School |
| Profession | Lawyer, Missionary |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Signature |  |
Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine (born February 26, 1958) is an American politician and the current Governor of Virginia. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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[edit] Early life and education
Kaine was born in St. Paul, Minnesota to Mary Kathleen Burns and Albert A. Kaine, an engineer and small business owner.[citation needed] Kaine grew up in the Kansas City area and graduated from Rockhurst High School there.
Kaine graduated from the University of Missouri–Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1979.[1] He attended Harvard Law School, taking a year-long break during law school to work with the Jesuit order as a Catholic missionary in Honduras.[2] He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1983, and was admitted to the Virginia Bar.
Kaine practiced law in Richmond for 17 years, specializing in representing people who had been denied housing opportunities because of their race or disability. He was recognized by local, state and national organizations for his fair housing advocacy. He also taught legal ethics for six years at the University of Richmond Law School.[3]
Over ten years into his legal career, in 1994, he was elected to the city council of the independent city of Richmond from the portion of the city in which he resided under Richmond's system of nine wards. He would later be elected mayor of Richmond by the city council (which until 2004 chose the mayor from among its membership). He spent a total of seven years on the city council, including his time as mayor. The City of Richmond had been long notorious for having one of the highest murder rates in the United States. The trend had worsened greatly in the 1980s, and had continued into the 1990s. As mayor, Kaine was credited with helping to create and implement the gun law known as Project Exile. The controversial program was the predecessor of the statewide Virginia Exile program.
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For more details on this topic, see Project Exile.
[edit] Lieutenant Governor
In the Virginia general elections of November, 2001, Kaine ran for Lieutenant Governor, and won with 925,974 votes (50.35%)[4]. His opponents were Republican Jay Katzen with 883,886 votes, (48.06%), and Libertarian Gary Reams with 28,783 votes (1.57%). Kaine was inaugurated on January 12, 2002. As Lieutenant Governor, he served as President of the Senate of Virginia.
[edit] 2005 Virginia election
In 2005, Kaine ran for and won the office of Governor of Virginia in the November general election, defeating Republican former Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore by a margin of 52-46 percent. Kaine has said he will look to retain Warner's tax and educational policies, and keep the budget balanced, and soon launched a statewide series of town halls focused on transportation.
An underdog for most of the race, Kaine overtook Kilgore in some polls for the first time in October 2005, and held his lead into the final week before the election[5]. While the previous Democratic Governor, Mark Warner was credited with doing especially well for a Democrat in rural areas of the commonwealth, Kaine's win featured surprising triumphs in traditionally Republican exurbs like Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Prince William County and Loudoun County in Northern Virginia as well as impressive showings in Democratic strongholds like Richmond and Norfolk.[6]
Kaine closely associated himself with popular outgoing Democratic Governor Mark Warner during his campaign, and won his race by a slightly larger margin than Warner. He promised homeowner tax relief, and centrist fiscal leadership but also proposed a large-budget program guaranteeing pre-kindergarten education for any family that wants it. A number of factors, from the sagging poll numbers of President George W. Bush to a public disgust over the death penalty ads run by Kilgore have also been cited as key to his decisive win.[7][8] Kaine was inaugurated in Williamsburg on January 14, 2006. This makes Kaine the first Governor since Thomas Jefferson (in 1779) to be inaugurated in Virginia's colonial capital. Virginia's Capitol in Richmond was under renovation at the time, with the process completed in mid-2007.
Kaine supports smart growth, which proponents say concentrates economic growth. Critics argue it will make the reduction of urban sprawl and highway traffic a priority over economic growth.
[edit] Governor of Virginia
As Governor, he is a member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors' Association, and the Democratic Governors Association. On January 31, 2006, he gave the Democratic response to President Bush's 2006 State of the Union address. In his response, he claimed the Republicans failed to support bipartisanship in Washington and asserted the Democratic position that "There is a better way." He condemned Bush's spending and tax cuts as "reckless".
In March of 2006, after the General Assembly failed to create a budget, Governor Kaine called for a special session that didn't end until June. The debate was over Transportation issues and how to fund current and new projects. Most of the debate came from a battle within the Republican controlled Senate and House of Delegates. In 2007, Kaine heavily amended and signed into law a transportation funding and planning plan designed and shepherded through the General Assembly by the Republican Speaker of the House, William Howell.
On May 23, 2007, the Roanoke Times and other Virginia newspapers reported that the Kaine Administration was running a $300 million budget deficit. Kaine reportedly instructed agency heads to reduce spending. On August 2, 2007, the Washington Post reported that the Kaine Administration conceded publicly that the state's budget would run a shortfall in future years. The Post quoted Kaine's spokesman Kevin Hall: "We acknowledge -- heck, everybody does -- that the 2008-2010 budget period will feature slower growth than anticipated." On the same day, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that "The Kaine administration is expecting a shortfall in the 2008-2010 biennium but will not make it public until Aug. 20 [2007]."
In June 2006, Kaine signed an executive order banning smoking in all government buildings and state-owned cars.[9] He also announced that Virginia will be the first state in the Union to digitize records from the Civil War Era Freedman's Bureau. This will open up research in African-American history after the Civil War.[10]
In May 2006, Governor Kaine announced his plan to conserve 400,000 acres (1,600 km²) of Virginia real property from development before the end of his administration as Governor of Virginia.[11] The Commonwealth of Virginia's landowners favor land conservation although Virginia lags behind other state's per capita expenditures on land conservation. [1] As of 2007, according to government statistics, Florida spends $25 per capita on land conservation. Maryland spends $21. North Carolina spends $4.35. Virginia spends $1.45[12]. Only 12% of Virginia's lands are currently protected at the federal, state, or local levels.[13].
In the 2006 elections, Kaine supported Democratic Senate candidate Jim Webb.[14] Kaine also opposed an amendment to the Virginia Constitution that would define marriage as that between one man and one woman, though he has publicly stated that he personally opposes same-sex marriage.[15]
Tim Kaine has given his support for the mandatory vaccinating of 6th grade girls in Virginia with the HPV vaccine and has recently signed a bill to that effect. He has dismissed all criticism, saying that the broad opt-out provision in the bill should resolve all of the concerns.[16]
[edit] Death penalty stance
Despite his personal opposition to capital punishment, often cited during the campaign by both sides, he has so far overseen five executions as governor as of June 2008. Before he was Governor he had spoken in favor of declaring a moratorium on the death penalty "until it's fair."[17] On June 9, 2008, Kaine commuted the death sentence of Percy Levar Walton to life in prison without parole.
He has vetoed five death penalty expansion bills although some of the vetoes were overturned.[18], and opposed electric chair as an option[19].
[edit] Abortion Stance
Tim Kaine has stated he has a "faith based opposition to abortion." He also supports promoting abstinence and opposes partial-birth abortion.Tim Kaine is a member of Democrats For Life of America.
[edit] Virginia Tech massacre
When news of the Virginia Tech Massacre broke, Kaine aborted a trade mission to Japan and India to attend to the situation. In a convocation speech given on no rest after flying back from Tokyo, Kaine said he would appoint a panel of independent law enforcement officials to examine what the university knew about the student responsible for the massacre, which killed 32 people. The commission led by a former state police chief and former governor and homeland security secretary Tom Ridge began work on April 28th, and issued their findings and recommendations on August 30, 2007. On April 30, Governor Kaine signed an executive order instructing state agencies to step up efforts to block gun sales to people involuntarily committed to inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment centers.[20] Appearing alongside Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R), Kaine said the order will help prevent people like the shooter from legally obtaining firearms in the future.
[edit] Vice Presidential speculation
According to The Washington Post, Kaine has endorsed, and strongly supports, the 2008 presidential campaign of Democratic U.S. Senator Barack Obama. Kaine's endorsement was claimed to be the first from a state-wide elected official outside of Illinois to endorse Obama's bid[21]. As a popular and successful governor of a southern state, Kaine might be a choice for vice-president[22].
[edit] Dulles Airport Metro controversy
In July 2007, The Washington Post and Associated Press reported that, according to an Inspector General's Report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, costs to construct the first phase of the Dulles Rail project had increased from $1.52 billion in December 2004 to $2.7 billion, due to delays in starting the project. One delay, the report noted, stemmed from the Kaine Administration's study of an underground rail alternative in 2006. Although citizens and businesses preferred the underground option, Kaine eventually decided to proceed with an elevated rail. The report also warned that the project barely qualified for federal funding when its projected cost was $2.1 billion. In order to secure federal funding, Kaine in 2006 scrapped a plan that would have the Washington Metro go underground via a tunnel in Tysons Corner in favor of a cheaper, above-ground option. Numerous government agencies have studied the tunnel proposal, and Republican state lawmakers have tied up Kaine's transportation budget until federal funding is secured.
[edit] Electoral history
| Virginia Gubernatorial Election 2005 | |||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Tim Kaine | 1,025,942 | 51.7 | ||
| Republican | Jerry Kilgore | 912,327 | 46.0 | ||
[edit] Cabinet
- Chief of Staff - Wayne Turnage
- Secretary of Administration - Viola Baskerville
- Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry - Robert Bloxom
- Secretary of Commerce and Trade - Patrick Gottschalk
- Secretary of the Commonwealth - Katherine Hanley
- Secretary of Education - Thomas Morris
- Secretary of Finance - Jody Wagner
- Secretary of Health and Human Resources - Marilyn Tavenner
- Secretary of Natural Resources - Preston Bryant
- Secretary of Public Safety - John W. Marshall
- Secretary of Technology - Aneesh Chopra
- Secretary of Transportation - Pierce Homer
- Assistant for Commonwealth Preparedness - Robert P. Crouch
- Senior Advisor for Workforce - Daniel G. LeBlanc
[edit] Personal life
Kaine is married to former Richmond Juvenile Court Judge Anne Holton, who is the daughter of former Virginia governor A. Linwood Holton Jr.. Kaine and Holton have three children, Nat, Woody, and Annella.
[edit] References
- ^ New Jersey, Senate & Presidential Elections 2008 Results & Polls – NJ.com
- ^ Kaine ponders move out of politics - News - inRich.com
- ^ Official Site of the Governor of Virginia
- ^ Official Election Results - Virginia State Board of Elections
- ^ VA: Kaine 49% Kilgore 46% - Rasmussen Reports, November 4, 2005
- ^ Shear, Michael D. (October 18, 2005). "Kaine Sounds Slow-Growth Note in Exurbs". Washington Post.
- ^ "Death penalty demagoguery". (October 13, 2005). The Roanoke Times.
- ^ "RealClear Politics - 2005 Virginia Gubernatorial Election". Retrieved November 4, 2005.
- ^ Tim Kaine Homepage
- ^ Tim Kaine Homepage
- ^ Regional Parks: Governor Kaine sets aggressive land conservation goal
- ^ Roanoke Times. Retrieved March 4, 2008.
- ^ Virginia Land Conservation Statistics, by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved March 4, 2008.
- ^ Jim Webb for Senate Endorsement Page
- ^ Washington Post September 15, 2006
- ^ Craig, Tim. "Kaine Says He'll Sign Bill Making Shots Mandatory", Washington Post, March 3, 2007.
- ^ Tim Kaine on the Issues
- ^ Recent Legislative Activity
- ^ Kaine: Electrocution Should Not be Execution Option
- ^ Tim Craig (2007-05-01). Ban on Sale Of Guns to Mentally Ill Is Expanded. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
- ^ YouTube - Gov. Tim Kaine Supports Barack Obama
- ^ Vice President pool swimming with governors - National, Michigan State & Local Elections 2008 News & Polls - MLive.com
[edit] External links
- Virginia Governor Tim Kaine Official state website
- National Governors Association - Virginia Governor Tim Kaine biography
- Virginia Public Access Project - Tim Kaine 2005 campaign contributions
- Follow the Money - Timothy M Kaine 2005 campaign contributions
- On the Issues - Tim Kaine issue positions and quotes
- Project Vote Smart - Tim Kaine (VA) profile
- Moving Virginia Forward Tim Kaine's PAC
- Democratic response to State of the Union MSNBC, January 31, 2006, transcript of Governor Kaine's State of the Union Rebuttal
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Larry E. Chavis |
Mayor of Richmond 1998 – 2002 |
Succeeded by Rudolph McCollum Jr. |
| Preceded by John H. Hager |
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia 2002 – 2006 |
Succeeded by William T. Bolling |
| Preceded by Mark Warner |
Governor of Virginia 2006 – present |
Incumbent |
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