Mrs. Clinton selects Kaine as running mate

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has selected Tim Kaine, a moderate senator from Virginia, as her running mate.

Mrs. Clinton broke the news in a tweet to her supporters. She plans a formal announcement on Saturday.

Mrs. Clinton passed over more left-leaning candidates in favour of the 58-year-old senator who opposes abortion and supports free-trade agreements.

His home state of Virginia is a major battleground in the coming election.

Mr. Kaine also speaks fluent Spanish and could help the Clinton campaign maintain its support among Hispanic Americans - a growing voting bloc.

An experienced politician who has been toughly vetted, he is considered a "safe" choice for the vice-president slot.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I&#39;m thrilled to announce my running mate, <a href="https://twitter.com/timkaine">@TimKaine</a>, a man who&#39;s devoted his life to fighting for others. -H <a href="https://t.co/lTVyfztE5Z">pic.twitter.com/lTVyfztE5Z</a></p>&mdash; Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/756642903469031424">July 23, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 

SOURCE: BBC News