First, the Jesuit-educated Tim Kaine is exactly the kind of politician that Francis, the first Jesuit Pope, likes to promote. And the match goes well beyond the obvious Jesuit connection. Kaine’s social and economic views run very parallel to those of this Pope. Which may have implications in bringing Catholics back to the Democratic camp, particularly if those priests aligned with the Pope’s view of the Catholic Church highlight Kaine’s service record.
The second point is Tim Kaine’s missionary past. Catholic kids don’t often go on a mission, but all Mormon kids do. Kaine’s experience in Honduras is shared by thousands and thousands of young Mormons, who spend a couple of years in Latin America, learn perfect Spanish, fall in love with the country they are visiting, and return home as conservative as they left but with a surprisingly open-minded approach to foreign policy and immigration. These Mormons don’t like Trump, as evidenced by his poor primary performance in heavily Mormon areas. Which will not be enough to switch Utah to the blue camp, but may well do the trick in Arizona, where Mormons are a very important component of the Republican coalition. If Mormons stay home in November, even Maricopa County, and with it all of Arizona, may switch. The Clinton campaign should definitely exploit his running mate’s potential to connect with the Mormon experience.
The second point is Tim Kaine’s missionary past. Catholic kids don’t often go on a mission, but all Mormon kids do. Kaine’s experience in Honduras is shared by thousands and thousands of young Mormons, who spend a couple of years in Latin America, learn perfect Spanish, fall in love with the country they are visiting, and return home as conservative as they left but with a surprisingly open-minded approach to foreign policy and immigration. These Mormons don’t like Trump, as evidenced by his poor primary performance in heavily Mormon areas. Which will not be enough to switch Utah to the blue camp, but may well do the trick in Arizona, where Mormons are a very important component of the Republican coalition. If Mormons stay home in November, even Maricopa County, and with it all of Arizona, may switch. The Clinton campaign should definitely exploit his running mate’s potential to connect with the Mormon experience.
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