Free Republic

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will become chairman of the Democratic National Committee later this month, serving as the top political messenger for Barack Obama's administration even while he finishes his final year in the governor's mansion, several sources said. Kaine, who emerged as one of Obama's vice presidential finalists this summer, will operate from Richmond in a part-time capacity until January 2010, when he will become the full-time DNC chairman. Kaine is constitutionally barred from running for reelection. A personal friend of the president-elect, Kaine is a gregarious chief executive who is known to relish political combat and helped...

  Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine who is under consideration as a possible running mate for Barack Obama gave the Senator credit for the Russian ceasefire in Georgia.From ABC News' Jake Tapper."The Senator's goal was to be tough and smart," Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, "and so when the action (in Georgia) happened on Thursday, he immediately called for a ceasefire, condemned the unwarranted use of force by Russia.  It was a bad crisis for the world.  It required tough words, but also a smart approach to call on the international community to step in --...

RICHMOND (AP) — Gov. Tim Kaine is expected today to announce a tax package to pay for highway construction and the upkeep and repair of state roads and bridges. Mr. Kaine scheduled a news conference at the state capitol to outline details of the bill that he will ask legislators to consider next month. He has called the General Assembly to Richmond beginning June 23 for the second special session on transportation funding in two years. Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, wants regional funding plans to pay for new projects in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, the state's most populous, fastest-growing...

Gov. Tim Kaine yesterday announced a plan to expand health care coverage to thousands of uninsured, low-income Virginians as the state faces a projected $641 million budget shortfall. "One in seven Virginians still lack health insurance because their employers don"t provide it or because they cannot afford it," Mr. Kaine said. "As more citizens rely on our health care safety net for their most basic health needs, we must strengthen that system." Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, said the two-year budget that he plans to present to the General Assembly on Monday will include about $25.5 million in new health care...

RICHMOND, Nov. 12 -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has cut off state funding for abstinence-only sex education programs, citing recent studies finding that teenagers should also be taught about birth control and condoms to protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Kaine (D) submitted plans last month to close a budget shortfall in part by eliminating a $275,000 matching grant for a federal program that provided funds for 14 nonprofit groups that taught abstinence only. Delacey Skinner, Kaine's communications director, said the governor believes that effective sex education programs must include information about contraceptives as well as abstinence. "The...

I know what it's like to be an underdog. In the Summer of 2005, I saw one poll that had me losing the governor's race by 12 points. I believed we could win, and you believed in me. Before long, we were only down by 8 points. Then it was 6, then 2, then 1. On election day, we won a 6-point victory. We won in part because we worked hard every day and never lost sight of what we were fighting for: Virginia's future. But the bigger reason why we won was that you kept faith and supported us...

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA Office of the Governor Timothy M. Kaine FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Governor September 27, 2007 Contact: Kevin Hall Phone: (804) 225-4260 Cell Phone: (804) 393-9406 Internet: www.governor.virginia.gov STATEMENT OF GOVERNOR KAINE ~ On Dr. Esam Omeish’s resignation from the Virginia Commission on Immigration ~ RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine released the following statement on Dr. Esam Omeish’s resignation today from the Virginia Commission on Immigration: “I have accepted Dr. Esam Omeish’s resignation as one of the 10 gubernatorial appointees to the 20-member Virginia Commission on Immigration. “Dr. Omeish is a respected physician and community leader, yet I...

These hot, muggy August days are the toughest of the year for candidates. The excitement of Fourth of July parades is passed, walking from door to door is downright uncomfortable, and everyone else seems like they're on vacation. But you know what they say about what happens when the going gets tough - the tough get going. And that's exactly what Democratic legislative candidates across the Commonwealth are doing right now going from door to door, leading the way to a better General Assembly one voter at a time. If we're going to win back the General Assembly this year...

Dear Friends, I want to thank everyone for their enthusiasm and their hard work in support of candidates on the 4th of July. It was great to see so many old friends! During a great day attending more than six events, I had the chance to see our candidates' excitement up close. People are encouraged by the strong team of Democratic candidates this year. In fact, I have never seen this level of energy in an off-year election. Virginians are fired up about Democratic leadership for good reason. For the second year in a row Forbes.com named Virginia "The Best...

With so much focus centered on November 6, I wanted to remind you that Virginia's primary election is just a week away. In districts across the Commonwealth, more than a few Democrats are running for our party's nomination. Having traveled across the Commonwealth and met with many of the Democrats running for office, I am very excited about the exceptionally strong candidates we're fielding this year. In particular, I'd like to introduce you to a couple of good Democrats who I am supporting in Virginia's June 12 Democratic Primary. Delegate Dan Bowling is a tireless advocate for Southwest Virginia representing...

RICHMOND, April 4 -- The Republican-controlled General Assembly faced off against Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) Wednesday, rejecting his proposal for a statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants and rebuffing his concerns about expanding the use of the death penalty. By wide margins, the House of Delegates and Senate overrode Kaine's veto of legislation to make the killers of judges and witnesses eligible for the death penalty. The House also voted to override Kaine's veto of a bill that would make accomplices eligible for capital punishment, but the Senate agreed with the governor, meaning the bill will...

Just heard on local radio (WRVA) that the House has overridden the governor's proposed smoking ban in restaurants. No link on WRVA web site yet. The nanny state loses one!

Friends - More and more, Virginians understand that Democrats are working together for smarter government that works for Virginians. And we've succeeded: Under Democratic leadership, we have accomplished so much, like Forbes.com naming us "the best state for business" and Education Week publishing a survey that shows children born in Virginia have a better chance for life success than those born in any other state in this nation. Today, more than ever, this nation needs a results-oriented President with the values and vision to move this country forward the way we've moved Virginia forward. I endorsed Senator Barack Obama in...

If The Governor Wants Your Opinion. . . Bart Hinkle March 06, 2007 2:52 PM . . . he’ll give it to you. The text says Governor Tim Kaine “is looking for citizen input. . . Please take a few moments to tell us what you think.” Uh hunh. But the way the feedback page is set up, it might as well say: “I think Governor Kaine is right for the following reasons [please check all that apply].”

Gov. Tim (Eyebrow) Kaine was protested by a group of Roanoke-area taxpayers today, as he attended Raleigh Court Elementary School on his "easy listening" tour. He was apparently listening to school kids, rather than taxpayers and voters. The group took issue with Kaine's campaign promise to not raise taxes, a promise he immediately broke during his first year in office. Also, one member of the group sat in the Tim Kaine Rocking Chair. The group objects to the fact that Kaine has done nothing while the General Assembly hammered out a Transportation Plan. Kaine now plans radical changes to it...

Last Thursday, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) rejected a proposal put forth by Attorney General Bob McDonnell to have state law enforcement agencies obtain federal immigration training. On Wednesday, Jan. 17, McDonnell issued a letter to Kaine stating that many Virginia localities are concerned about the lack of state and local law enforcement authority and are "more than eager" to independently obtain enforcement authority on their own. Advertisement Several Virginia localities, such as Herndon and Manassas, are currently in varying stages of initiating the training for themselves. "We may soon be in a position where local law enforcement is empowered...

Kaine requested to rethink police authority By: Andrew Perkinson 01/23/2007 RICHMOND -- Attorney General Bob McDonnell urged Gov. Tim Kaine (D) to rethink his decision not to seek additional immigration authority for state police investigating violent crimes. Kaine previously had dismissed an increased authority option, saying it would cost the state too much money. "I am renewing my request to the governor in the interest of adhering to the rule of law and providing for additional public safety for our citizens of Virginia," McDonnell said in a press conference Jan. 17. In addition, Sen. Jay O'Brien (R-Clifton) and Del. Tom...

Dear Friends: I want to let you know about an important Congressional race that is crucial to our efforts to continue moving Virginia forward. Judy Feder, a thirty year resident of Virginia, is the Democratic nominee in Virginia's 10th District and a woman of extraordinary accomplishments. Judy is someone we need in the U.S. Congress. As a top official in the Clinton administration and the Dean of the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Judy Feder has led the fight for affordable healthcare and accountability in Washington for almost 30 years. During my race in 2005 we saw that Virginia is ripe...

RICHMOND, June 28 -- The 2006 General Assembly gave final approval to the state budget and went home Wednesday, leaving behind a first-year governor who presided over the worst stalemate in the legislature's history while failing to make good on his promise to ease traffic congestion for Virginians. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) confronted an issue that has bedeviled state leaders for two decades: how to finance billions of dollars in road and transit construction. His plan for tax increases to finance those improvements, presented six days into his term, stalled after he misread the resolve of his adversaries and...

Helping my friend Gov. Jennifer Granholm I want to ask you for a favor for a friend of mine - a woman who was there for me when I needed her most: Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan. Last year, she came to Virginia to encourage "Women for Kaine" to put our campaign over the top - and we won. I'm looking forward to working with Governor Granholm to grow the economies of both Virginia and Michigan. But first I'd like you to help me return the favor that she did us last fall by making a contribution to her re-election...