What to Know About Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s New Running Mate

The veepstakes are over: Hillary Clinton has chosen Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate. The former Virginia governor and current Senator brings a wealth of experience in foreign policy, executive experience and electoral politics to the Democratic ticket. Kaine endorsed Clinton early in the primary and campaigned for her in several states.

Here are five things to know about the potential next vice president.

His father was an ironworker

And Tim Kaine worked with his father at his shop in Kansas City. Kaine was born in Minnesota but grew up in Kansas City. He graduated from the University of Missouri and Harvard Law School.

He got his start fighting for equal housing laws in Virginia

As a private attorney, Kaine worked on legal cases that advocated for fair housing for African-Americans in Richmond, Va. In 1993, he worked on a federal case with Housing Opportunities Made Equal that alleged landlords were steering black renters away from their properties. The case was settled out of court.

He has continued that advocacy in the U.S. Senate.

A majority-black city council made Kaine the first white mayor of Richmond in a decade

Kaine was elected mayor of Richmond by the city council in 1998, after he had served four years on the body (city lawmakers used to directly elect the mayor). At the time, it “signaled a shift in political power in the city, and perhaps racial reconciliation,” Style Weekly, Richmond’s alternative weekly, said in a 2009 profile of Kaine.

Kaine is pro-choice, but personally opposes abortion for religious reasons

Kaine is a devout Catholic. Between college and law school, he went on a year-long mission trip to Honduras. In 2005, as Virginia governor, he said he would “work in good faith to reduce abortions.” Earlier this month, Kaine said he is a “strong supporter” of Roe v. Wade. “I have a traditional Catholic personal position, but I am very strongly supportive that women should make these decisions and government shouldn’t intrude,” he told CNN.

Kaine is fluent in Spanish

In 2013, he made history as the first senator to deliver a speech in the Senate entirely in Spanish.