* Birth Date: February 26, 1958
    * Birth Place: St. Paul, Minnesota
    * Undergraduate Degree: University of Missouri, 1979
    * Law School Degree: Harvard, 1983
    * Family: Married to Anne Holton; three children - Nat,    Woody, and Annella
    * Religion: Catholic
    * Party: Democrat

During Governor Kaine’s tenure, Virginia has been recognized as the most business-friendly state in America (Forbes.com 2006, 2007 and 2008; CNBC 2007), the top-performing state government in America (Governing Magazine 2008) and the state where “a child is most likely to have a successful life (Education Week 2007).”

In education, Governor Kaine is moving the state’s focus from competence to excellence. He put into law Virginia’s first requirement for all classroom teachers to receive regular and meaningful teacher evaluations.

Governor Kaine has also worked to increase oversight and accountability at the Department of Transportation, and nearly 80% of projects currently come in on time and on budget. Governor Kaine is committed to immediately finding a funding solution that addresses the transportation needs

In the area of health care, Governor Kaine is focused on improving Virginians’ health and creating better access to the health care network. He is working with small businesses to expand their ability to purchase health insurance for their employees and is working to utilize the state’s technology resources to improve the quality of health care and find cost savings for consumers. In 2007, the Governor and legislature expanded care options for children and expectant mothers, boosted wellness support for state employees, and provided new incentives for expanding the state’s health care workforce

Together with these four initiatives, Governor Kaine is committed to improving economic opportunity. Governor Kaine has worked with the legislature to eliminate the estate tax, create Virginia’s first sales tax holiday, take more than 140,000 low-income Virginians off the tax rolls,

Governor Kaine’s career of public service began when he took a year off from law school to volunteer with missionaries in Honduras.  There, he served as the principal of a small Catholic school that taught teenagers basic carpentry and welding skills.

Governor Kaine practiced law in Richmond for 17 years, representing people who had been denied housing opportunities because of their race or disability.  He won many precedent-setting cases in this area and was recognized by local, state and national organizations for his fair-housing advocacy. Kaine also taught legal ethics for six years at the University of Richmond Law School.

Governor Kaine entered political life in 1994 and was elected to four terms on the City Council, including two terms as Richmond’s mayor, where he worked to build Richmond’s first new schools in a generation, cut taxes and slash the city’s crime rate.  Richmond’s success in reducing violent crime won national recognition from Presidents Clinton and Bush and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.  

Governor Kaine was elected Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor in 2001. He worked for four years with Governor Mark Warner to reform the state’s budget and invest new resources in education.

Governor Kaine has been elected to become Chairman of the Southern Governors Association in the summer of 2008.

Governor Kaine grew up in Kansas City working in his father’s ironworking shop.  He attended the University of Missouri and Harvard Law School.

Governor Kaine is married to Anne Holton, a former legal aid lawyer and juvenile court judge.  Anne’s father, Linwood Holton, was Governor of Virginia from 1970 to 1974, making Anne the only Virginian who has lived in the Governor’s mansion as a child and then as an adult.  Anne works diligently to serve the Commonwealth with a particular focus on the needs of Virginia’s children in foster care

The Kaines have three children – Nat, Woody and Annella – who all attend Richmond Public Schools.  The family is active in their church and spends all the time they can in Virginia’s outdoors.

PROS:
Born in Minnesota a state we need
Raised in Kansas City a state we also need
Went to college in Missouri another state we need
Governor of Virginia another state we need
Experience in leadership as both lieutenant gov and gov
Started from bottom and moved up from city council, Mayor
Traveled abroad to -  Honduras – relates to Obama
Helped those with housing needs, like Obama
Business friendly
Education and accountability

CONS:
No foreign policy exp except as Gov related