Election 2016 Fact Sheet: Democratic VP

Name: Timothy Michael Kaine

Date of Birth: February 26, 1958

Alma Mater: University of Missouri-Columbia — B.A., Economics (Class of 1979); J.D., Harvard Law School (Class of 1983)

Party: Democratic

Positions Held

• Senator, Virginia (2013 — Present)
• Chairman, Democratic National Committee (2009–2011)
• Governor, Virginia (2006–2010)
• Lieutenant Governor, Virginia (2002–2006)
• Mayor, Richmond (1998–2001)
• Richmond City Councilman (1994–1998)

Policy Positions

• Abortion — Similar to his running mate, Senator Kaine is — personally — “opposed to abortion”. Despite this position, he believes women have the legal right “to make their own health and reproductive decisions”, implying he is pro-choice in policy decision-making. He believes that the government should not be involved in decisions relating to reproduction, intimacy, relationships or contraception, considering them part of “the personal realm”. He previously co-sponsored the Access to Birth Control Act.
• Gun control — The former DNC chair is a supporter of the 2nd amendment. That being said, he believes “we must take concrete steps to reduce gun violence”, suggesting the expansion of “mental health services, background record checks prior to gun purchases and responsible limits on combat combat-style weapons and high-capacity magazines”. He’s supported both the Transfer of Arms Act and the Manchin-Toomey bill.
• Drugs — In 2005, the former Virginia governor ran for governor on a platform of expanding police departments to combat terrorism and drugs. He is opposed to the decriminalization of marijuana, holding an “F” rating from MarijuanaPolitics.com. Conversely, he introduced and co-sponsored the Co-prescribing Saves Lives Act to help prevent opioid overdose deaths. He also supported the Opioid Overdose Reduction Act of 2015.
• Education — “A well-educated population is the key to having the most talented nation on earth.” In his response to President Bush’s 2006 State of the Union address, then-Governor Kaine criticized the administration for not funding the No Child Left Behind Act. He is also opposed to public education vouchers, but he supports Common Core and free public higher education, In 2015, he co-sponsored a bill to create career and technical education (CTE) residency programs to train more educators.
• Health care — The Harvard alumn aligns with his running mate in health care, supporting the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare); he was a supporter for the public option before it was scrapped. He co-sponsored the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act and the Health Insurance for Former Foster Youth Act.
• Immigration — Senator Kaine believes immigration is “fundamentally a question of talent.” He supports the Dream Act and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) programs. He has also pushed for an increase in the number of Syrian and Iraqi refugees accepted into the U.S.
• LGBT Rights — The University of Missouri-Columbia alumnus co-sponsored the Equality Act, which amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation and gender identity as protected under anti-discrimination laws. As well, he co-sponsored the Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 2015, which included same-sex couples in the Internal Revenue Code.
• Environment — The former governor has consistently previously for protecting the environment. During his tenure, he invested in efforts to clean up and protect Virginia rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. As a senator, he supported legislation to create the National Endowment for the Oceans. He is also opposed to the Keystone XL oil pipeline. But he has previously supported offshore drilling and fast-tracking natural gas.
• Social Security — Kaine is opposed to the privatization of Social Security. He is also against the payroll tax cap, wanting to remove it in order to make the wealthy pay more into the system. As of July 2016, he holds a 93% lifetime score with the Alliance for Retired Americans for his “pro-retiree” voting record.
• Tax Reform — Senator Kaine has previously expressed an openness to discussions on a minimum income tax for everyone during the 2012 Senate debate. In his speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, he criticized Republican tax policies, stating they were pushing “budget-busting tax cuts and economy-busting spending cuts”. In the same speech, he also criticized the position of increasing taxes on the middle class rather than the wealthy, a position he and his running mate share.

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