Heidi M. Przybyla

USA TODAY

Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this story misstated the day of the week Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine appeared at a rally together.

Donald Trump’s choice of Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate may free up Hillary Clinton to put a politician with a more moderate profile — like Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine — on the Democratic ticket.

Pence is a reassuring pick to the GOP’s religious conservatives, the Tea Party and official Washington. Yet given his stances on Democratic priorities like abortion and gay rights, the Indiana governor will likely further motivate liberals to oppose a potential Trump presidency, Democratic strategists say.

That may allow Clinton to worry less about teaming with a progressive firebrand in favor of someone with governing experience who appeals to independent voters and more socially liberal Republicans, the strategists say. Kaine, for instance, is a former governor, lieutenant governor and Richmond mayor.

“Trump is moving to the right, and that leaves a lot of room for Hillary to pick Tim Kaine,” said Joe Trippi, a long-time political consultant who's worked on the presidential campaigns of Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy and others.

Kaine could also help Clinton in Virginia, a key swing state where the two took a dry run campaigning together Thursday.

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Another potential pick with a similar profile is Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor.

“In a general election campaign, you pick a VP who can expand your support (or fill out a résumé), not narrowly satisfy your base,” said Trippi.

In 2016, however, populist, anti-Washington furor has been a dominant theme for both parties, leading candidates to focus more on base supporters. In Trump’s case, it heavily influenced his pick of a running mate.

That's a contrast to previous cycles when candidates have tried to strike a more moderate tone as the general election kicks in.

Clinton campaign: Pence 'most extreme' VP pick in generation

Clinton, too, has been seriously weighing whether she needs someone who would appeal to the backers of her former primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, as she struggles to unite Democrats behind her amid polls showing declining favorability numbers. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has proven herself an effective attack dog as she’s sparred with Trump online and in speeches.

Clinton is reportedly set to make her running mate announcement on Friday.

Peter Fenn, a longtime Democratic strategist, agreed that the Pence pick does little to expand Trump’s base beyond white conservatives. “You wanna go after the suburban and exurban vote, boom, it’s right there,” he said of Clinton.

“If I were Hillary, I’d be breathing a large sigh of relief that there’s not some wild card out there that I’ve gotta deal with in ten days,” said Fenn.

There are other reasons Clinton may feel freer to pick a more conventional running mate. After securing a number of concessions on the Democratic Party’s platform, Sanders finally endorsed her last week and says he will do everything he can to get her elected. A recent Pew poll shows 85% of Sanders backers will support Clinton, while just 9% say they'll back Trump. That's a faster rallying effect than President Obama saw in 2008 from Clinton supporters after their drawn-out primary.

Finally, terrorism attacks and civil unrest at home and abroad in recent weeks may put a greater premium on a running mate with governing and foreign policy experience who would be capable of immediately succeeding her.

Kaine was an early Obama supporter in the 2008 election cycle. But as a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, he’s been critical at times of President Obama’s policy on Syria.

Democratic strategists Steve McMahon said national security worries also “tend to favor a Tim Kaine- or Tom Vilsack-like candidate more than an Elizabeth Warren or Sherrod Brown candidate because of the executive experience.”

Also, unlike Warren who is a hero to the progressive movement, Kaine doesn’t risk upstaging Clinton during the campaign and in the White House.

Paul Begala, an adviser to a pro-Clinton super PAC, emphasized the importance of executive experience over choosing an effective attack dog.

“She’s going to need a governing partner,” Begala said Saturday on CNN. “It’s not a game show, it’s not trying people out and trotting them out,” he said in a veiled jab at Trump’s selection process.

Clinton’s campaign, in a statement, said Pence is the “most extreme” vice presidential pick in a generation, citing his strong anti-abortion stance and a 2015 religious liberty bill he signed that allows businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians. He later amended it.

Analysis: Even at VP event, it's all about Donald Trump

The Clinton campaign clearly believes Pence will help motivate liberals. Clinton deputy communications director Christina Reynolds tweeted on Thursday: “If you weren't ‘inspired’ enough by Trump, let Pence give you the motivation to make sure they never win.”

“By running right, Trump makes it easier for her to grab more in the middle,” said McMahon. “The Bernie supporters are falling in line as hoped for and expected and as the Clinton supporters did for Obama in 2008.”

Trump’s pick is “freeing for her,” said Fenn. “She does not need to take an Elizabeth Warren. To me, it (Kaine) makes more sense than ever.”