WASHINGTON — Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said Monday he thinks Hillary Clinton will run for president next year and that her decision could be known as soon as December.
Kaine, a Democrat who has vowed to endorse Clinton should she run, made the comments in a question and answer session with students at Randolph Macon College in Ashland, Virginia.
An audio clip of the event was provided to CNN by a person in the room who wished to remain anonymous.
The former governor and chairman of the Democratic National Committee was asked if he would run for president in 2016, but Kaine waved off the question and quickly pivoted to Clinton.
“The answer is no,” he said. “I had come out in, I guess in April or May, to strongly support Sen. Clinton, Secretary Clinton, should she run. I have no knowledge about whether she will or won’t, but my intuition tells me that she will. But that will probably not be known until, I would say, December.”
Clinton has said publicly that she will make her decision about 2016 known sometime after the new year.
Kaine was one of President Obama’s first supporters when Obama launched his presidential bid in 2007. With his impressive resume and a deep well of respect within Democratic Party ranks, Kaine has been talked about as a potential candidate himself in 2016.
But Kaine signed on with the Ready For Hillary super PAC earlier this year and announced that he will get behind Clinton if she seeks the Democratic nomination.
He will also host a Washington fund-raiser for the group on Tuesday, Politico reported last week.
