黑料社

TAMPA, Florida 鈥� Hillary Clinton named Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate Friday, adding a centrist former governor of a crucial battleground state to the Democratic ticket.

In a text message to supporters, the presumptive Democratic nominee said, 鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to tell you this first: I鈥檝e chosen Sen. Tim Kaine as my running mate.鈥�

On Twitter a few seconds later, Clinton described Kaine as 鈥渁 man who鈥檚 devoted his life to fighting for others.鈥�

Kaine himself tweeted, 鈥淚鈥檓 honored to be her running mate.鈥� The two will make their first appearance together Saturday at a rally in Miami.

With the pick, Clinton moved into the political spotlight a day after newly crowned Republican nominee Donald Trump closed out his convention with a fiery address accusing his general election opponent of 鈥渢errible, terrible crimes.鈥�

Kaine, 58, had long been a favorite for Clinton鈥檚 ticket. Fluent in Spanish and active in the Senate on foreign relations and military affairs, he built a reputation for working across the aisle as Virginia鈥檚 governor and as mayor of Richmond.

Clinton鈥檚 decision caps a highly secretive, months-long process to find a political partner. Clinton called Kaine by phone around 7:30 p.m. Friday to offer him job, and he accepted, according to a campaign aide. She then called President Barack Obama to inform him of the decision.

Clinton was weighing two finalists: Kaine and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a longtime friend of the candidate and former President Bill Clinton. Kaine鈥檚 strong ties to Virginia, a crucial general election battleground, and his foreign policy experience put him over the top, according to a person close to the campaign, who insisted on anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the process publicly.

Kaine has been a favorite of Obama since his early 2008 endorsement, the president told Clinton鈥檚 campaign he believed the senator would be a strong choice during the selection process.

Those views are not shared by some liberals in the Democratic Party, who dislike his support of free trade and Wall Street. They pushed Clinton to pick Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, intensifying their criticism of Kaine late this week as his selection appeared imminent.

Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said Friday that Kaine鈥檚 support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact gives Republicans 鈥渁 new opening to attack Democrats on this economic populist issue.鈥�

READ: Trump and Clinton looking for different things in a VP

Clinton鈥檚 campaign largely declined to comment on the search process, trying to keep the details 鈥� even the names of the finalists 鈥� under wraps to try to maximize the impact of their announcement. She made no mention of her impending pick during a somber meeting Friday with community leaders and family members affected by the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando and a later campaign rally in Tampa.

As Clinton prepared to make her VP pick Friday, Trump met with supporters at his convention hotel in Cleveland to run through a long list of thank-yous after the end of his four-day coronation as head of the Republican Party.

But rather than stay focused on Clinton or reach out to the general election voters he now must court, the newly minted Republican nominee spent considerable time stoking the fire of his bitter quarrel with Republican former rival Ted Cruz. 鈥淭ed, stay home,鈥� Trump said, dismissing any interest in an endorsement the Texas senator refuses to provide. 鈥淩elax. Enjoy yourself.鈥�

Trump boasted of his TV ratings, his primary victories and other achievements, including winning over his wife, Melania, in a stream-of-consciousness delivery with his vice presidential nominee, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, standing quietly nearby.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 do anything unless I win,鈥� Trump insisted. He promised to work 鈥渟o hard鈥� as the nominee and vowed his campaign was 鈥渘ot going to disappear,鈥� even though he has no plans to campaign this weekend and no events on his schedule for next week.

No matter, perhaps, as that time will belong to Clinton and the Democrats, whose own convention begins Monday in Philadelphia. Kaine, who won election to the Senate in 2012 after serving as Obama鈥檚 first chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will likely speak in the slot reserved for the vice presidential pick on Wednesday night.

Before entering politics, Kaine was an attorney who specialized in civil rights and fair housing. He learned Spanish during a mission trip to Honduras while in law school, an experience he still references on the campaign trail. During his political career, he鈥檚 demonstrated an ability to woo voters across party lines, winning his 2006 gubernatorial race with support in both Democratic strongholds and traditionally Republican strongholds.

His wife, Anne Holton, is the daughter of a former Virginia governor, a former state judge and, currently, the state鈥檚 Education Secretary. The couple has three children.

Clinton鈥檚 plans to pick Kaine, hinted at for several days leading up her Friday announcement, had been viewed as a safe choice against the Republican ticket of Trump and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.

Some Democrats believe Trump鈥檚 selection of Pence, a conservative white man from a largely Republican state, freed Clinton from pressure to add another woman or minority to her ticket. Her short list included Warren, two Latino cabinet secretaries and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, one of two black US senators.

Democrats argue that Kaine could help her woo moderate and even some Republican voters turned off by Trump鈥檚 provocative rhetoric, which was at the center of his 75-minute Thursday night acceptance speech. Trump pledged to restore a sense of public safety, strictly curb immigration and save the nation from Clinton鈥檚 record of 鈥渄eath, destruction, terrorism and weakness.鈥�

Democrats offered a different assessment of the state of the nation. Obama said Friday that Trump painted a picture that 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 really jibe with the experience with most people.鈥�

At a White House news conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Obama said crime rates, especially those for violent crime, are lower than at any time in the past 30 years. He noted violent crime has recently risen in some cities, 鈥渂ut we鈥檙e not going to make good decisions based on fears that don鈥檛 have a basis in fact.鈥�

Kaine got some practice challenging Trump鈥檚 message when he campaigned with Clinton last week in northern Virginia, where he spoke briefly in Spanish and offered a strident assault on Trump鈥檚 White House credentials.

鈥淒o you want a 鈥榶ou鈥檙e fired鈥� president or a 鈥榶ou鈥檙e hired鈥� president?鈥� Kaine asked in Annandale, Virginia, as Clinton nodded. 鈥淒o you want a trash-talking president or a bridge-building president?鈥�

READ: Hillary Clinton, the candidate we know so well鈥揳nd don鈥檛