Hillary Clinton's former running mate Tim Kaine called himself 'not so much a Democrat' when asked about the party's post-election reckoning.
Kaine, a former Virginia governor and DNC chair who was elected to his seat in 2012, made the startling statement during a 'common ground' segment on Fox News, standing alongside conservative Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).
Host Bret Baier asked him if the Democratic Party was having a 'thought about the future,' as Donald Trump prepares to retake power after winning seven battleground states and even prevailing in the popular vote.
'Look, we are having a significant discussion about the next few years. I'm not so much a Democrat, I'm a Virginia guy,' Kaine responded.
'So, I'm very focused on Virginia but I think if I could sum it up, the attitude now is: advance everywhere we can together. And defend everything we must.'
Many lawmakers stress their ties to their states, and the commonwealth of Virginia has produced a long line of national figures including founders who held deep connections to the state.
But the admission drew immediate notice online, at a time when there has been a series of signs of an ascendant Trump.
Some of the opposition to controversial Trump nominees has been melting away, top CEOs who criticized Trump in the past have been flocking to Mar-a-Lago and donating to his inaugural committee.
And ABC News reached a $15 million financial settlement with him over a segment with George Stephanopoulos.
Hillary Clinton 's former running mate Tim Kaine called himself 'not so much a Democrat ' when asked about the party's post-election reckoning
Virginia guy: Sen. Tim Kaine said he was 'not so much a Democrat' in a Fox News interview
A string of commentators have noted Trump's overwhelming control of the Republican Party, as he prepares to take over with unified Republican control of Congress and a conservative dominated Supreme Court.
Kaine made the statement during a segment dubbed 'Common Ground,' where he and Cotton touted a bill on protecting essential medicines.
Kaine, 66, won't face voters for another six years. He was just reelected over Trump-backed, Hung Cao, a retired Navy special operations officer. During the campaign, Cao stressed illegal immigration and transgender issues in the military, calling Kaine a 'beta male' and a 'soy boy.'
He aggrandized masculinity in his rare media appearances, calling Kaine a “beta male” and a “soy boy.”
Kaine's 54-46 win was tighter than his 57-41 win in 2018, in a state where Trump made gains.
But he has not adopted anything approaching the stance of party outliers like outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin. Kaine voted with President Biden 97 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight data.
Kaine was Democrat Hillary Clinton's running mate in 2016
DailyMail.com has reached out to Kaine's office.
When Kaine launched his reelection campaign in Richmond last year, he declared: 'In good times or bad times, Virginians are not mean-spirited, pessimistic, name-calling complainers. We are upbeat, can-do, roll-up-your-sleeves, get-the-job-done people. We stand up for democracy and equality. We stand up for economic opportunity. We stand up for reproductive rights and voting rights. And most importantly, we stand up for each other.'
Cotton said their joint bill directs the government 'to take stock of where we are obtaining these prescription drugs or in some cases over-the-counter drugs or their precursor ingredients to make sure that we don't have adversarial nations like China that control them that could end up cutting them off in a moment of national crisis.'
