“Economically, I do think we have become kind of a model for other states in a way we haven’t been for a very long time,” Kaine said. “The changes have been very significant, and they have put Virginia in the leadership position that we were in from 1776 until the 1840s.

“Then there was a long period where we were not so front and center, but I think we’re back. That is very exciting, and it is a tribute to a lot of hard work by a lot of people.”

His job in Congress is “hugely different” from being Virginia’s chief executive, Kaine said.

“They often say that governors are very unhappy when they go off to the Senate, because when you’re a governor you’re used to being in the top of whatever your pyramid is,” he said.

An expertise job

When Kaine arrived in Washington in January 2013, he was 95th in seniority.