Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine predicted Tuesday that if he and Hillary Clinton win Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania or Ohio, Mrs. Clinton will be the next president.
“There’s probably 10 or 15 that are battleground states, but the ones we watch really close are ’checkmate’ states,” Mr. Kaine said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “Those are states where if we win, we know Hillary will be president.”
“And I say this about North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio — these are four checkmates,” he said. “I think if we win any of those four, Hillary will be president, and I think we have a chance to maybe win all of them, but some of [them] are going to be really close.”
Public polls have shown a close race shaping up between Mrs. Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump in those four states, as well as nationally.
“What we’re seeing in terms of early participation is very, very strong,” Mr. Kaine said. “Democracy always works better the more people participate, and I think the energy and enthusiasm about what we believe will be a history-making race — that’s the thing that gives me the most feeling of optimism right now.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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