Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has officially unveiled running mate Tim Kaine, praising the Virginia senator as the antithesis of the Republican ticket led by Donald Trump.

At a rally in Miami, Florida, the former US secretary of state reeled off a list of Mr Kaine's career achievements.

These included his work as a civil rights lawyer and the time he has spent with missionaries in Central America, depicting him as a man dedicated to social justice.

"Senator Tim Kaine is everything Donald Trump and Mike Pence are not," Mrs Clinton said to a roar of approval from the crowd.

"He is qualified to step into this job and lead on day one," she added, praising his work as governor of the key swing state of Virginia and his record of steering the state through hard financial times.


Mr Kaine then took to the stage and dazzled the crowd in heavily Latino Miami by immediately rattling off a greeting in very good Spanish.

"Bienvenido a todos," he said, or welcome to everyone, continuing in Spanish: "Welcome to everyone, in our country, because we're all Americans."

In Spanish again, he described he and Mrs Clinton as "soul mates" in the "fight" to defeat Mr Trump in November.

Mr Kaine could give Mrs Clinton a boost in his home state of Virginia, a pivotal battleground in the White House election.

The welder's son could also help her woo white male voters, a demographic she has consistently struggled to win over.

:: Tim Kaine: 10 Facts About Clinton's VP Choice

But liberals are wary of his support for fast-track approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade deal that has come under fierce attack from both the political left and the right.

Mr Kaine, 58, is a Harvard-trained lawyer, who cut his political teeth as mayor of Richmond, Virginia.

He became the state's governor, before his election to the Senate, where he has been active on foreign relations and military affairs.

Other possible Democratic VP finalists were said to include Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Labor Secretary Tom Perez, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown.

Mrs Clinton will be anointed as the party's official presidential candidate along with Mr Kaine at next week's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Her VP announcement was timed to snatch the limelight from newly-confirmed Republican nominee Donald Trump, hours after he closed his convention with a fiery speech.

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