Amid VP speculation, Kaine joins Clinton on campaign trail

WASHINGTON -- Hillary Clinton campaigned alongside Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine on Thursday afternoon, making a high-profile appearance with one of the leading contenders for a spot alongside her on the presidential ticket.

Kaine, a popular lawmaker from an important general-election battleground state, is considered to be a safe pick, one that could help Clinton woo moderates turned off by Donald Trump's divisive rhetoric.

An early Clinton backer, Kaine tested out attack lines against Trump before several hundred gathered at a community college auditorium, assailing the GOP nominee as unqualified, untested and untrustworthy.

Fluent in Spanish, he showed off his language skills, laughed at Clinton's jokes and nodded energetically at her applause lines.

"Do you want a 'you're fired' president or a 'you're hired' president?" asked Kaine. "Do you want a trash-talking president or a bridge-building president?"

The appearance comes as Clinton moves into the final stages of picking her vice president, with an announcement expected as soon as next week.

The short list includes Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a favorite of progressives who has emerged as a blistering critic of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump; Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro of Texas, a rising star in the Democratic Party; and Kaine.

This isn't Kaine's first vice-presidential flirtation: President Barack Obama seriously considered him for his ticket eight years ago.

Clinton offered few hints into her thinking, offering praise for Kaine that seemed tepid compared to the stream of compliments she showered on Warren at an event in Ohio last month.

"Everything Tim said is absolutely on the mark," Clinton said. "We are stronger together when we set goals for America."

In a private lunchtime meeting on Capitol Hill, Clinton assured Senate Democrats she will pick a "very qualified" vice president after being asked who she was planning to choose.

The question prompted a roar of laughter from the audience of Democratic senators.

The meeting included Kaine, Warren and another potential Clinton running mate, Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

Earlier on Thursday, Clinton promised Latino activists gathered in Washington for the annual convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens she would make action on immigration legislation a top priority of her administration.

She called on Latino voters to help stop what she called GOP rival Donald Trump's efforts to "fan the flames of racial division."