Virginia Senator Tim Kaine was on campus Saturday, November 11, at the invitation of the University of Lynchburg Democrats. Kaine spoke in Memorial Ballroom to a group of about 150 people, consisting of Lynchburg students and area Democrats.
Carter Elliott ’19, who founded the University of Lynchburg Democrats this fall, introduced Kaine, calling him a “true champion of Virginia,” and saying that while the senator was born in Minnesota, raised in Kansas, and educated in Missouri and Massachusetts, “we won’t hold that against him.”
Elliott added, “We are privileged to have him fighting for us in our nation’s capital. Few people in our Commonwealth have contributed the magnitude of service that he has and we are grateful to have him with us today.”
Kaine, former Virginia governor and Hillary Clinton’s running mate in the 2016 Presidential election, spoke about how he got into public service, what he does in the U.S. Senate, and added a few thoughts on the recent election results.
“I would really encourage you, if you have any of the desire, run for or be public servants,” Kaine said, adding that it doesn’t matter whether that means the PTA, school board, senate, or presidency.
“We need good, optimistic, altruistic, idealistic people to stand for public office. I’m a really optimistic person, but the one thing that makes me a little pessimistic is it seems like it’s harder and harder to get good people to run for public office.
“There are a lot of reasons not to run, but it’s been so satisfying. It’s been so satisfying to be able to put, in my own little way, a thumbprint on my community.”
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