MIAMI _ Tim Kaine made his first appearance as Hillary Clinton's running mate Saturday, taking the stage at Florida International University with the soon-to-be Democratic presidential nominee in bilingual Miami so he could show off his Spanish.
"Bienvenidos a todos," he said. Turning to Clinton, he added: "We're going to be companeros del alma." Soul mates.
The Democratic ticket arrived on Miami time, more than an hour late. They held hands, smiled and waved.
"He is a progressive who likes to get things done," Clinton said, using the same words she's used to describe herself. "That's just my kind of guy, Tim!"
Kaine told the audience of about 5,000 people about his life _ and quickly did what running mates have to do: He praised the presidential candidate and attacked her opponent.
Kaine accepted Clinton's offer to be the candidate for vice president Friday night. The Democratic National Convention, where Clinton and Kaine will be nominated, begins Monday in Philadelphia.
With Kaine unknown to most voters, Clinton's campaign deliberately introduced him in Florida, the nation's largest swing state and a place where it hopes his Spanish fluency might make at least a marginal difference with the Hispanic electorate.
Florida voting has been close in recent presidential elections. Kaine could also give Clinton a bump in his home state of Virginia, a Democratic-leaning swing state, though running mates don't usually give presidential candidates much of an edge.
"I'm trying to get to know more about him," said Karen Iglesias, a health educator from West Kendall who is of Bolivian descent. "It's great he speaks Spanish _ he's able to communicate with our community."
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on Twitter Saturday, derided Kaine as "owned by the banks" and anathema to liberal Democrats who were drawn to Bernie Sanders, Clinton's primary rival. Trump has made a hard push for Sanders fans; unlike Sanders, Kaine in the Senate has backed President Barack Obama's proposed Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement with Asia. (So did Mike Pence, Trump's running mate.)
A couple of Trump fans protested Clinton's appearance outside the FIU arena.
Clinton's slogan Saturday was "Stronger Together" _ a line that coincidentally matches one recently deployed by the Miami Dolphins. "H-R-C!" yelled the crowd, using the initials for Clinton's full name.
Clinton, 68, is thought to have chosen Kaine, a political centrist, in part because of his national security credentials _he's a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees _ and his years of experience. Kaine, who's never lost a political contest, was also considered a potential running mate for Obama in 2008.
"I have said many times that the most important qualification when you are trying to make this really big choice is, 'Can this person step in to be president?'" Clinton said of Kaine. "Well, in every stage of his career, the people who know him best have voted to give him a promotion, and that's because he fights for the people he represents, and he delivers real results."
Kaine, 58, was born in Kansas and learned Spanish in Honduras, where he spent a year as a Jesuit missionary.
In Spanish, Kaine reiterated Clinton's pledge to push for immigration reform in the first 100 days of her presidency. Obama broke a similar promise, which has haunted him on Spanish-language news media throughout his tenure.
"Raise your hand if you've been a naturalized citizen," Kaine said in English, as hands shot up. "Thanks for choosing us!"
A Harvard law graduate and married father of three adult children, Kaine used to work as a civil rights attorney. He's the former head of the Democratic National Committee _ a position now held by U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, who joined Clinton and Kaine in Miami and Tampa.
