WASHINGTON — Communications Director to then-Governor Tim Kaine and 270 Strategies Founding Partner, Lynda Tran, joined CBSN Live and Fox News to discuss his addition to the Democratic ticket.
Key excerpts from Tran’s analysis on Fox News are below.
On Kaine’s likelihood to gain Sanders’ supporters
“First off, I think it depends on which progressive you talk to. On my own social media feed, whether we’re talking about Facebook or Twitter, what I’ve actually seen is people being stunned at how much they liked and appreciated the Tim Kaine that they saw at the podium today. I’ve had a number of people who are self-proclaimed dyed in the wool ‘Berniacs’ starting to come over and become ‘Kainiacs.’ I think the more that people hear from him, the more likely it is that even the most ardent of supporters among progressives are really going to come over to his side.”On today’s Miami event
“The other thing we saw today is how powerful of an asset he can be on the campaign trail. You heard Jennifer [Griffin] say that clearly Hillary Clinton is very comfortable when she’s on stage with him, that was evident today just as it was last week. I think that in itself and her ability to show a little bit more comfort in her own authenticity is going to be powerful on the trail.”On personal insights on Kaine
“I think it’s very telling that Tim Kaine treats the most junior staffers the same way he would treat the most senior staffers. Whether you are talking to grassroots volunteers or high dollar donors, everybody has the same reaction to him — which is he’s so authentic and he’s so real and he hears me. I think he’s going to be brilliant.”
Key excepts from Tran’s analysis on CBSN Live are below.On Kaine’s ability to take down Trump
“I think he’s going to be very effective. We saw the first example of that today. He’s a civil rights attorney. Kaine knows how to make a case, he knows how to tell a story, and he knows how to win.”On Kaine’s appeal on the ticket
“This is a guy, who again, comes off with a smile but as Hillary Clinton said, he’s got a backbone of steel. Let’s not forget that this is a guy who as Governor was able to close the gun show loophole in the state that’s the backyard of the NRA. This is a guy who passed a smoking ban in restaurants in the home of Phillip Morris.”On Kaine’s bipartisan approach
“While he is somebody who people on both sides of the aisle acknowledge as someone who tries to look for common ground and get things down, he also stands up for his values and his principles. Those align with Hillary Clinton. He’s going to talk about them a ton in the months ahead.”
