Senator Tim Kaine is making his way around the state to kick off his bid for re-election this year. He stopped at Pale Fire Brewing Company Saturday [April 7] to meet with voters in Harrisonburg. WMRA’s Calvin Pynn was there.
Tim Kaine credited recent youth-led movements as the inspiration for his bid for re-election. He says his ultimate goal is to create a Virginia that works for all.
KAINE: That’s the question that’s facing America right now -- that’s a question that’s facing us in these elections.
Kaine was elected to the Senate in 2012, after a political career in which he has served as Virginia’s Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Mayor of Richmond. He most recently ran as the Democratic vice presidential nominee alongside Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
His campaign philosophy is rooted in five pillars: jobs, education, healthcare, security, and equality. Kaine highlighted his goals, including increasing the minimum wage, expanding Medicaid, ending opioid addictions by the year 2030, implementing debt-free college and improving pay for teachers, and improving police and community relations, among others.
Kaine praised Harrisonburg’s openness to immigrants and refugees as an example for the rest of the country. And he criticized President Trump’s harsh approach to immigration
KAINE: I think we need to challenge the administration on their philosophy, and then we need to work, ultimately on comprehensive immigration reform. In the meanwhile let’s protect dreamers, let’s protect TPS recipients, but comprehensive immigration reform is what we need to do.
