Any potential progressive backlash to Tim Kaine was slow to mount Friday evening after Hillary Clinton chose him as her running mate.
Kaine is not as liberal as some Democrats would prefer on a range of issues, most prominently trade and abortion rights. Yet few traditional Democratic interest groups were taking shots at him immediately after the selection was made.
Labor groups praised him despite his support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Kaine had a “strong record on workers’ issues” and proclaimed him a “winner for America.” The SEIU, another major labor union, praised Kaine’s record as well, saying, “We know what is in Tim Kaine’s heart.”
Neither group mentioned his position on trade.
Groups that favor abortion rights also chose not to criticize Kaine, with the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws noting his legislative record.
“While Senator Kaine has been open about his personal reservations abut abortion, he’s maintained a 100% pro-choice voting record in the US Senate,” the group said in a statement. “When he was governor, Tim Kaine took positions we disagreed with and actively campaigned against. We’re pleased that since then, his votes and public statements have been consistently in favor of trusting women to make our own decisions.”
Planned Parenthood also noted his 100% rating on their scorecard, calling him a “thoughtful running mate with integrity.”
Republicans, meanwhile, labeled Kaine a Washington insider.
In a fundraising text message to supporters, Donald Trump’s campaign wrote: “The ultimate insiders — Obama, Hillary and Kaine. Don’t Let Obama have a 3rd Term. Contribute.”
The Republican National Committee tried to stoke tensions between Clinton and the liberal base that initially flocked to Bernie Sanders, saying that Kaine did “nothing to unify a fractured Democrat base which is repelled by her dishonesty and cronyism.”
Two prominent critics of the Trump, though, tweeted some support for their Senate colleague.
Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, wrote: “Trying to count the ways I hate @timkaine. Drawing a blank. Congrats to a good man and a good friend.”
And Lindsey Graham, another Trump critic, tweeted: “I find the VP candidates — Governor Mike Pence and Senator Tim Kaine — more palatable than the presidential nominees.”