Sen. Claire McCaskill on the Clinton-Kaine ticket: ‘They are the grown-ups’

Here’s how U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, reacted to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s selection of Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia as her running mate:

“It’s just a terrific selection. We now have a ticket that signals that they are the grown-ups.

“I challenge you to find a member of the United States Senate whose first reaction to Tim Kaine is anythng other than he’s a really nice guy or I really like him.

“In many ways, it’s like he doesn’t belong there. He’s so kind and thoughtful and cheerful even when things are stressed, Tim has a very even keel about him. His temperament is unusual for someone who is a member of United States Senate who has this resume that he has.

“You couldn’t find someone who is more humble than Tim Kaine. He’s incredibly smart. A hard worker. You can tell he’s from the Midwest. He doesn’t phone it in. He’s a policy wonk. I think he’s such a terrific choice.

“He will be a real antidote to all of that fear and anger and darkness on the other ticket.”

Is his too conservative?

“This is someone who went on a mission, came close to being a Jesuit priest. He’s someone who has lived a life that was focused on social justice. He really believes it is about the least among us and about doing for others, and lifting up others.

“When people really learn about his background, if progressives give him a chance and look at how he’s lived his life, they’ll be reassured that he’s coming from the same value system they’re coming from.”

This story was originally published July 23, 2016 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Sen. Claire McCaskill on the Clinton-Kaine ticket: ‘They are the grown-ups’."