Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine is coming to Texas next week to raise money for Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the White House.
Kaine, a U.S. senator from Virginia, will attend fundraisers Aug. 9 in Austin and Aug. 10 in Dallas and Fort Worth, according to invitations. Attendees are being asked to give or raise anywhere from $2,700 to $50,000.
The Austin fundraiser is being hosted by Todd Bradley, CEO of mobile payments startup Mozido. The hosts of the Dallas event are Gabby and Franklin McLarty, chief executive of the car dealership group RML Automotive Holdings. And in Fort Worth, Kaine is being feted by Marty Englander, CEO of packaging manufacturer Englander dZignPak, and his wife, Marilyn Englander.
State Sen. Kirk Watson of Austin advertised the events Tuesday in an email to supporters. Watson, the former Austin mayor, recalled his first meeting with Kaine, the former Richmond mayor, during a trip to Israel with other mayors in 2000.
“I was immediately struck by Tim,” Watson said. “He’s very smart. He has a deep spiritual sensitivity that he was very open about. He was funny with a quick ability to see the fun in something. And he looked for fun. He was a good, good guy.”
Kaine’s fundraising swing appears to be his first trip to Texas since Clinton named him her running mate last month, passing over a Texan she had been considering, U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2016/08/02/kaine-heading-texas-fundraisers/.