VP Speculation

On July 28, 2008, Politico first reported that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine was "very, very high" on Barack Obama's shortlist for Vice President. Kaine had been an early supporter of Obama, and as the popular governor of a southern state, he seemed a likely nominee for the VP post.

Obama eventually chose Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his VP pick. At Obama's request, Kaine went on to become Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He served in that capacity until the spring of 2011 when he announced a run for the U.S. Senate from Virginia.

Kaine's opponent in the 2012 election is George Allen, a previous Virginia Senator who lost his reelection bid in 2006 to Democrat Jim Webb. Allen's use of the term "macaca" to refer to a person of Indian ancestry caused a controversy during the campaign, and is thought to have led to his defeat.