Profile: Virginia Sen.-elect Tim Kaine

• Kaine is a former governor
• President Obama tapped him to head DNC in 2009
• Has portrayed himself as a moderate Democrat throughout his career

Democrat Tim Kaine, 54, is a former governor of Virginia and former chairmanof the Democratic National Committee. His father-in-law is former Virginia governor Linwood Holton. Kaine was born in Kansas City and, growing up, worked in his father's ironworking shop. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and Harvard Law School.

While at Harvard, he took a year off to work as a missionary in Honduras. Kaine served as a member of the Richmond, Va., City Council from 1994 to 2001, the last three as mayor. (Richmond's mayors then were chosen from the council).

In 2001, he was elected lieutenant governor of Virginia, serving with fellow Democat Mark Warner, who actively campaigned for Kaine in this year's Senate race. Kaine was elected Virginia's 70th governor in 2005, overcoming Republican Jerry Kilgore in a late surge, in part by tying himself to the popular Warner. Virginia's Constitution bars governors from seeking consecutive terms, so Warner could not run for re-election; he went on to be elected U.S. senator.

Kaine's term as governor spanned the 2008 financial crisis, and much of the latter part of his term was consumed in battles to close the state's $5 billion budget shortfall.

Throughout his career, Kaine has portrayed himself as a moderate Democrat willing to work with Republicans to solve problems. But in 2009, President Obama chose him to chair the Democratic National Committee, a position that required Kaine to raise money for fellow Democrats and attack Republicans in the 2010 elections. Democrats suffered big losses in Congress that year. And Kaine's Senate opponent this year, former senator George Allen, highlighted Kaine's role as DNC chair.

Kaine and his wife, Anne, have three children.