DAYTON - Hillary Clinton should recover enough from her pneumonia to rejoin the campaign trail soon, running mate Tim Kaine said Monday in Ohio. But ongoing concerns over the Democratic presidential candidate's health and credibility were underscored in a seeming throwaway remark by former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, who said Kaine is "a wonderfully prepared person to be vice president, and to be the president if that ever became necessary." The comment went viral after it was tweeted by The Dispatch and even becoming the lead story on the Drudge Report.

DAYTON � Hillary Clinton should recover enough from her pneumonia to rejoin the campaign trail soon, running mate Tim Kaine said Monday in Ohio.

But ongoing concerns over the Democratic presidential candidate's health and credibility were underscored in a seeming throwaway remark by former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, who said Kaine is "a wonderfully prepared person to be vice president, and to be the president if that ever became necessary.� The comment went viral after it was tweeted by The Dispatch and even becoming the lead story on the Drudge Report.

And the campaign of Republican Donald Trump, after making nice for 24 hours following Clinton's early departure Sunday from a 9/11 commemoration in New York, sent an email Monday night titled "Clinton Campaign in Chaos." It listed a series of stories mentioning her health issues, including a piece saying �Some In Media Saying Democratic Operatives Are Seriously Worried About Clinton's Ability To Continue Campaigning.�

Trump has made an issue of her health and "stamina" in the past. His supporters have even posted fake reports about Clinton's health.

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After a 35-minute talk at Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton, Kaine told reporters Clinton was "very responsive" when he called her after her near-collapse Sunday. Her campaign initially said the incident stemmed from her being overheated but later acknowledged that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia Friday and would stop campaigning for an unspecified period per her doctor's instructions. Kaine wouldn't say when he learned of her ailment, but did not talk with her until Sunday.

�I was struck by how responsive she was to me, but also how chatty and funny she was,� the Virginia senator said.

�She is a person with a very, very strong work ethic. So she wasn�t feeling good last Monday as some of you saw when we were here (in Ohio). But then she had a very busy week. She powered through that week with the commander-in-chief forum (Wednesday broadcast live on NBC) and other events. She was diagnosed on Friday but then decided to move forward with the national security briefing and really wanted to be there (at the 9/11 ceremony) as a senator from New York.�

Kaine said Clinton, 68, has �committed that shortly she�ll release more health information.� He noted she already has disclosed more medical information than Trump, 70, and hopes the Republican will be held to the same standard. Trump is to discuss his health Thursday with Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of �The Dr. Oz Show.�

During his speech before several hundred supporters, Kaine said, �She has been on the campaign trail for 18 months. Her energy staggers me. I have a hard time keeping up.�

Strickland, a candidate for U.S. Senate, echoed Kaine's sentiments.

�Secretary Clinton by all reports is a healthy person. A lot of people get pneumonia. That�s not something to be terribly concerned about," Strickland told reporters before his speech.

"There have been efforts for a long time to imply that she is not healthy. I think that is part of her political enemies' attempt to conjure up a rumor that could hurt her politically. I don�t think there�s any evidence she has any serious, chronic health conditions that could make it difficult for her to serve as president.�

When asked whether Clinton needs to get back out on the trail in a close race, Strickland replied, �I think the most critical thing for her to do is to be fully recovered of this pneumonia. I would hope that she would take whatever time is needed to fully recover. ... It�s tough when you get little sleep and you�re making speeches and you�re giving interviews. It can wear on you."

With Clinton on the sidelines, Kaine suddenly became the face of the Democratic presidential campaign � just in time for his first solo appearance this year in battleground Ohio. Kaine emphasized college affordability during the Dayton speech.

The Clinton campaign released new figures showing that students from 89 percent of Ohio households � 150,000 students � would pay no tuition for a four-year college degree under her plan. The proposal would allow families with adjusted gross incomes up to $125,000 to attend in-state public colleges and universities tuition-free.

drowland@dispatch.com

@darreldrowland