SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — Friday, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton announced Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as her running-mate for November’s general election, a man known publicly as a friend to the Indian-American community, especially by those in his home state.
From Diwali celebrations to philanthropic events, Kaine has been a regular face at functions in the Virginia Indian-American community for years.
“Tim is a good guy and a friend of the Indian American community,” said Suresh Shenoy, executive vice president at Virginia-based Alyx Technologies. “More importantly, he did a great job as governor of Virginia.”
Sanjay Mittal, CEO of eHealthObjects, a Richmond-area healthcare technology company, shared a similar sentiment. “Senator Kaine is a good friend of the Indian American community and is very popular among Virginians,” he said, adding that the United States “will be in good hands with Sen. Kaine as the vice president.”
Kaine has worked closely with Northern Virginia’s Indian-American tech sector for several years, especially during his tenure as governor, and has always relayed an appreciation for the accomplishments of the community.
“The talent pool of the Indian American community in our country is so strong and so diverse in different subject areas, that if you are just putting together a team on the aristocracy of merit, you have Indian Americans at the forefront,” he said during a 2014 keynote at the annual gala of the American India Foundation.
“And that is an aspect of life in this country that makes the Indian American moment in the relationship between our nations so fruitful right now,” he added.
Kaine has also visited India on multiple occasions.
In 2007, while serving as governor, Kaine led a delegation of more than 100 business and government leaders on a trade mission to three Indian cities. “We believe India will provide Virginia businesses with tremendous opportunities for growth,” he said ahead of the trip. “We have a focused mission ahead of us, and I look forward to what is sure to be a successful outcome.”
In October 2014, as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, he went on a four-day trip to India.
