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3 New Congressman Comment on Kaine DNC Selection

Posted by Greg on Tuesday, January 06

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 6, 2009

3 New Congressmen Comment on Kaine DNC Selection

As They Get Sworn in, Nye, Perriello and Connolly Thank Governor

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On the day of their swearing-in, Virginia's three new Congressmen thanked Gov. Tim Kaine for helping them get elected and congratulated the Governor on reports of his selection as Democratic National Committee chair.

Kaine helped to lead a ground-breaking coordinated campaign in 2008, which led to the election of Senator Mark Warner, and Congressmen Glenn Nye (VA-02), Tom Perriello (VA-05) and Gerry Connolly (VA-11). On Tuesday, all four new Virginia leaders were sworn in on Capitol Hill.

"President-elect Obama's decision to tap Governor Tim Kaine as the next Democratic National Committee Chair is a great honor for Virginia," Congressman Connolly said. "I can't think of a better choice to benefit Virginia, the nation, and the Democratic Party.

"Tim Kaine is uniquely qualified to lead the oldest political party in America, particularly at a time when building coalitions is critical to our nation's future," Connolly continued. "Governor Kaine is a results-oriented leader who has shown, time and again, that he is willing to work across the aisle to reach effective solutions to the issues facing our Commonwealth."

Congressman-elect Tom Perriello praised Governor Kaine for the model he has provided for candidates to talk about their faith.

"Governor Kaine has been a mentor to me and a model of servant leadership as known in our faith tradition," Perriello said. "He has always shown the ability to put the interests of others before his own, and I'm confident he will continue to be a servant leader as DNC Chair. Governor Kaine has shown that Democrats win when we focus on delivering results for working families.

"Without his leadership and guidance, I would not be here today. I'm pleased to see Governor Kaine's likely selection as DNC Chair and I look forward to working with him to continue to deliver results for Virginia families."

Congressman Glenn Nye added that Kaine served a key role in helping him to victory, which he celebrated with his swearing-in on Tuesday.

"Governor Kaine is absolutely the right pick to head the Democratic Party," Nye said. "Throughout my campaign, Governor Kaine was one of my closest mentors, and his brand of commonsense, effective leadership is exactly what the country needs right now."

Connolly also responded to political attacks on Governor Kaine, saying that Kaine's selection should not serve as an excuse for state elected officials to hold up progress in Richmond.

"To those who are trying to poison the waters with partisan rhetoric as the Virginia General Assembly prepares to begin its 2009 session, I would suggest their comments about Governor Kaine are ill-founded and off-base," Connolly said. "Tim Kaine has shown that he is quite adept at multi-tasking and I am confident he will continue to lead Virginia ably and responsibly.

"I applaud President-elect Obama for choosing Tim Kaine to lead the DNC and I applaud Governor Kaine for agreeing to take this critical position at a critical time in our nation's history."

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