Democratic vice presidential candidates

Tim Kaine

The pitch
Virginia Governor Kaine, a former Richmond mayor and lieutenant governor, was one of the first politicians outside Illinois to endorse Obama. He delivered the Democratic Party rebuttal to Bush's 2006 State of the Union speech and won a Democratic victory in an often-Republican Southern state.

The downside
Kaine is not widely known outside Virginia and he has no national campaign experience. As a centrist, he may alienate some Democrats.
(REUTERS)
Tim Kaine The pitch Virginia Governor Kaine, a former Richmond mayor and lieutenant governor, was one of the first politicians outside Illinois to endorse Obama. He delivered the Democratic Party rebuttal to Bush's 2006 State of the Union speech and won a Democratic victory in an often-Republican Southern state. The downside Kaine is not widely known outside Virginia and he has no national campaign experience. As a centrist, he may alienate some Democrats.