Tim Kaine’s Kansas City brother says candidate expected to win but knew it would be close

Local boy Tim Kaine was expecting to be elected America’s vice president on Tuesday but knew the race would be closer than what news media were predicting, said his Kansas City brother.

Patrick Kaine and his parents spent election night in New York with the Democratic running mate to Hillary Clinton. Candidate Kaine was surprised and “disappointed” as returns favoring Republican Donald Trump rolled in, “but he knew that this was going to be real close and come down to the wire,” said Patrick Kaine. “It would be a late night.”

Tim Kaine, a U.S. senator from Virginia and former governor of that state, grew up in Overland Park the oldest of three boys. Both of Tim Kaine’s brothers and their parents still reside in the area. Tim Kaine is a product of Rockhurst High School

This was Tim Kaine’s first defeat in a political career dating to 1994, when he was elected to the Richmond, Va., City Council. “It was a surprise,” his brother said Thursday.

Father Al and mother Kathleen, both in their early 80s, traveled to Virginia’s Longwood University to attend the vice presidential debate. They enjoyed observing the campaign, said Patrick Kaine, a lawyer at Barbera & Watkins LLC: “It certainly was an interesting experience...and a special thing for them.”

Patrick Kaine declined to speculate on whether his brother may seek higher office in the future. For now, “Tim and his staff felt they ran a campaign they could be proud of,” he said.

This story was originally published November 10, 2016 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Tim Kaine’s Kansas City brother says candidate expected to win but knew it would be close."