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Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia will join Hillary Clinton on the Democratic presidential ticket. Here is a look at his stance on important issues, and how he compares with Clinton.
Trade
Kaine is an outspoken advocate of free trade, putting him at odds with the liberal base of the party. He has defended the North American Free Trade Agreement and voted in favor of "fast track" authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade pact that President Barack Obama has championed. As governor of Virginia from 2006-10, he traveled internationally to discuss trade initiatives with foreign leaders.
Where Clinton stands: Clinton once called the Trans-Pacific Partnership the "gold standard" of trade deals, but she now expresses opposition to it. Generally, she has been more cautious about trade since her primary battle with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
[Hillary Clinton picks Sen. Kaine as vice presidential running mate]
Criminal justice
Kaine, a Roman Catholic, staunchly opposes the death penalty based on his religious beliefs, but he oversaw 11 executions during his tenure as governor of Virginia, the state with the second-highest number of executions since the 1970s. He said his moral obligation to uphold the law as governor rivaled his moral obligation to oppose the death penalty. In the Senate, Kaine has advocated initiatives to overhaul the criminal justice system and supported a measure that would give judges more flexibility on sentencing.
Where Clinton stands: Clinton wants to invest in retraining police officers and broadening access to technology, such as body cameras, to improve accountability. She also backs legislation to end racial profiling by law enforcement and reduce prison sentences for nonviolent drug criminals. Clinton supports the death penalty "for very limited purposes" as punishment for heinous crimes such as mass killings and domestic terrorism. She thinks that death penalty cases should be overseen by the federal justice system. She has also said, however, that she would not be disappointed if the Supreme Court or states began to eliminate the death penalty.
Guns
Kaine, a gun owner himself, is a staunch supporter of gun control measures and has backed broad background checks and restrictions on the sale of combat-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The Virginia Tech shooting inspired Kaine, then the governor, to close some loopholes in Virginia laws that allowed some people to buy guns despite failing background checks. In the Senate, he supported the Manchin-Toomey bill, which would have expanded background checks to cover gun shows and weapons sold over the internet, and also supported a measure that would ban gun sales to terrorism suspects on the government's "no-fly" list.
Where Clinton stands: She also wants to expand background checks and supports legislation to keep guns away from suspects of domestic abuse, violent criminals and those with severe mental illness.
Foreign policy
Kaine, who sits on the Senate's Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, backed the Iran nuclear deal and the normalization of relations with Cuba. He has argued that Obama must seek authorization from Congress to carry out airstrikes against the Islamic State. And he has called for the establishment of safe zones in Syria to protect civilians.
Where Clinton stands:She has called for a more aggressive U.S.-led operation to defeat the Islamic State. She has urged a no-fly zone with coalition forces to protect Syrians and has supported arming Syrian rebels. She endorsed the nuclear deal with Iran but expressed skepticism about Iran's intentions.
[Profile: Tim Kaine, a liberal who rose in a conservative state]
Immigration
Kaine supports Obama's executive actions that would have shielded as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation and allowed them to legally work in the United States. Kaine supports a comprehensive immigration overhaul that would allow those living in the country illegally to gain legal residency if they pay their taxes and a fine.
Where Clinton stands: Clinton has vowed to restore and expand Obama’s executive actions and to protect the parents of children who are in the country legally. She also has promised to eliminate family detention centers.
Education
When he was governor of Virginia, Kaine helped expand the state’s preschool programs that serve at-risk children living in families with incomes near or below the poverty line. He also introduced a bill in the Senate to expand nationwide access to prekindergarten programs. Kaine supported the Every Student Succeeds Act, which de-emphasized standardized testing and gave states more flexibility to set education policies. On higher education, Kaine has pushed measures to reduce the cost of attending college.
Where Clinton stands: Clinton has recently lurched to the left on higher education. She supports eliminating tuition at in-state public colleges or universities for families earning up to $125,000 a year.
Environment
Economic expansion and environmental conservation go hand-in-hand for Kaine, who calls himself an “avid outdoorsman.” Kaine cites Virginia’s river and bay cleanups as evidence that stronger environmental policies can stimulate tourism and fishing economies. Kaine has expressed concern about the rising sea levels along the coast of Virginia, which he fears could impair military operations and endanger businesses. But he also supported opening Virginia’s coast to offshore oil drilling.
Where Clinton stands: Clinton wants to invest in infrastructure to protect communities at risk from rising seas. She also wants to create a task force to take preventive measures to protect low-income and rural communities that face environmental risks.
[Sen. Kaine may not be liberals’ first choice as Clinton’s No. 2]
Same-sex marriage
Kaine backed extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, and he campaigned against a 2006 amendment to the Virginia Constitution banning same-sex marriage in the state.
Where Clinton stands: Clinton’s views on gay marriage have changed over the years. In 1996, she called for strengthening “traditional” marriage. Her tone gradually softened on the issue, and last year Clinton said that she favored marriage equality and hoped that the Supreme Court would guarantee it as a constitutional right.
Abortion
As governor of Virginia, Kaine supported some restrictions on abortion and said as a “traditional Catholic” that he was personally against abortion, but supports abortion rights. As a senator, Kaine has voted in favor of funding Planned Parenthood and against attempts to restrict access to legal abortions. But he also has sought to reduce the number of abortions through education programs advocating adoption and abstinence.
Where Clinton stands: Clinton wants to protect funding for Planned Parenthood and believes that women should have access to safe, legal abortions. She strongly denounced Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, after he said abortion should be banned and women who have had the procedure should be punished.
Budget and the economy
Kaine supports “targeted spending reductions” but wants to close tax loopholes for the wealthy. He is a member of the Senate Budget Committee, and he helped usher through two-year budgets in 2013 and 2015, a diversion from traditional federal budgets that were determined on an annual basis. Kaine has said the two-year model is more productive and helps promote efficiency.
Where Clinton stands: Clinton wants to cut tax loopholes and tax breaks that benefit the rich and companies, and she wants to invest in research and infrastructure — rather than imposing deep spending cuts — to spur the economy.