Kaine told CNN at a concert Sunday he was flattered Obama considered him for VP.

Denver (CNN) – Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, considered one of the top contenders for Barack Obama's running mate, doesn't appear disappointed that Joe Biden got the job instead.

Kaine grinned, clapped and danced to Sheryl Crow's music Sunday night at the Green Sunday concert at the scenic Red Rocks amphitheater in Denver. He was joined by his wife, Ann Holton.

Kaine told CNN he thinks Biden is "going to be great" and praised the senior senator from Delaware for his foreign policy experience and his work on the Judiciary Committee.

"He really plays it from the heart," Kaine said of Biden. "I think he will serve [Obama] well and he and Obama will make a great team."

When Crow dedicated her song, "Strong Enough," to Obama and Biden, Kaine put down his Coors Light and applauded. Crow switched up the chorus to "are you strong enough to be my man, my president."

Kaine said he was just happy to have been mentioned for Obama's number two spot. Now his focus is turning Virginia blue, noting that his state is in play for the first time since 1964.

"We're trying to get Virginia votes locked into Barack's column," Kaine said. "If we can win Virginia, he will be the next president."

Kaine later took the stage at Red Rocks to introduce musician Dave Matthews and fired up the crowd by hitting McCain for infamously not knowing how many homes he owns.

"You can't make this stuff up folks," Kaine shouted.

He admitted that when he signed onto Obama's campaign in 2007 it looked "pretty steep."

"We're not there yet but we can see it," he concluded.

Obama and Kaine met privately Thursday.

(CNN) — For those in the business of examining each of Barack Obama's moves for a potential hint of who will be named the Democratic VP, buzz circulated after the Illinois senator held a private meeting with Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and his staff Thursday morning.

Watch: Ed Henry on the Obama VP pick

Both men were mum on what was discussed, and Kaine — considered to be among those at the top of Obama's VP shortlist — wouldn't comment on whether he was offered the coveted position.

"I'm going to let the campaign speak for the campaign," Kaine said, and later refused to indicate whether he had been ruled out for the position. "He visited with my staff just to basically say hi to them and thank them for all their hard work."

Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the presumptive Democratic nominee also took a photo with Kaine's staff before the two headed to a campaign event in Chester, Virginia.

Gov. Kaine campaigned for Sen. Obama in Leesburg, Virginia last week.

(CNN) — As the veepstakes continue to dominate headlines, plenty of politicians have made it clear they’re not going to be on the Democratic ticket this fall. But with the final announcement perhaps just hours away, one of the men rumored to be at the top of Barack Obama’s VP shortlist declined a chance to clarify his own status.

Asked by CNN American Morning’s John Roberts whether the fact that he’d agreed to an interview at the height of the pre-announcement frenzy meant he would not be Obama’s running mate, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine demurred.

“You’ll just have to hear from the campaign, and they’ll make the announcement when [they’re] ready,” said Kaine.

Is Kaine still on the list? “I’ll go back to that answer,” said Kaine. “I’ll call that taking the fifth or something. Hear from the campaign, John. They’ll let us all know when they want to.”

Kaine also would not say whether or not he had been through the VP vetting process. “I’m going to stick with the first answer. It’s been flattering to be mentioned. My mom in Kansas City loves it when someone will talk about me as VP.”

Obama and Kaine are scheduled to campaign together in Virginia today.

Obama spoke highly of vice presidential contender Tim Kaine on Wednesday.

(CNN) – After giving a shout out to perceived vice presidential shortlister Sen. Joe Biden on Tuesday, Obama praised another leading contender, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, while campaigning Wednesday in the southern part of the state.

With former Virginia governor – and U.S. Senate candidate - Mark Warner at his side, Obama applauded the two governors for the worked they’ve done to make cars more fuel-efficient.

“We’ve got to partner with our governors to come up with these plans the way that Mark Warner did such a wonderful job when he was governor and the way that Tim Kaine is currently doing such a great job as governor of Virginia.”

Kaine and Biden are believed to be the frontrunners for Obama’s number 2 spot along with Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh. Further fueling speculation that Kaine could get the nod, the campaign announced that he will host a town hall with Obama Thursday in a Richmond suburb.

Obama was in Martinsville, Virginia Tuesday to discuss the economy and in addition to slamming former McCain economic advisor Sen. Phil Gramm’s infamous “mental recession” comments, Obama continued to tie the Arizona senator to President Bush.

“Let’s face it, he has a compelling biography, he is a POW, and so that’s what people kind of think about instead of focusing on the fact that he wants to continue the same economic policies that George Bush has been doing for the last 8 years,” said Obama. “So my job in this election is to say I honor his service but I don’t honor his policies and I don’t honor his politics.”

Sen. Barack Obama has a big event scheduled Saturday. Will his No. 2 man (or woman) be by his side?

(CNN) — The question is starting to feel a little old: Who will Barack Obama pick as his vice president?

With the clock ticking (the Democratic VP candidate delivers a big speech next Wednesday) the announcement is at most days and at least a few hours away.

Everyday seems to be "the day" — the day the guessing game will finally end.

In a poke at all of the VP buzz, the Obama campaign on Wednesday sent an e-mail to reporters with the subject line "Vice presidential …"

The first line of the e-mail: "Just kidding." The e-mail contained details about Obama's schedule with no mention of any of the potential vice presidential candidates.

But if the top contenders have any inside information, they're doing a good job of keeping quiet.

Sen. Joe Biden on Tuesday told reporters camped outside his Delaware home that it's not him.

"You got better things to do guys; I'm not the guy," he said.

Asked where he would be on Saturday — when Obama is reportedly scheduled to hold a campaign event in Springfield, Illinois, that may feature his new running mate — Biden replied, "Here," pointing to his driveway.

He softened up a little later that night, telling reporters, "I promise you, I don't know anything."

Along with Biden, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine are considered to be among the top tier of VP contenders.

Full story

Kaine is one of Obama's most ardent backers.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – With vice presidential speculation reaching fever pitch, Barack Obama's campaign said Tuesday that the Democrat will campaign in central Virginia later this week alongside V.P. contender Gov. Tim Kaine.

Kaine and Obama will host an invitation-only town hall meeting on Thursday in Chesterfield County, a suburb of Richmond. Kaine's sturdy performance in the traditionally conservative Richmond suburbs helped vault him to the governorship in 2005.

Kaine, the former mayor of Richmond, is widely regarded as one of the three top candidates for a slot on the Democratic ticket, along with Delaware Senator Joseph Biden and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh.

Obama has scheduled a campaign event for Saturday at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, where he kicked off his presidential bid — but the campaign would neither confirm or deny whether the candidate will appear with his running mate.

Obama will also stump in the commonwealth on Wednesday with Virginia’s other two Democratic stars, Senator Jim Webb and former Governor and current Senate candidate Mark Warner, who is scheduled to keynote the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Gov. Tim Kaine shoots back against criticism from Karl Rove.

(CNN) – It was a tough retort from Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia.

Kaine responded Sunday to comments made by Republican strategist Karl Rove earlier this month criticizing Kaine's potential vice presidential credentials.

On CBS' "Face the Nation," Rove jabbed at the governor, saying "again no disrespect to Gov. Kaine. He's been a governor for three years. He's been able but undistinguished. I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done."

The Democratic governor — who is rumored to be on Barack Obama's potential VP list — pointed out that his state was voted best for business three years in a row by Forbes.com and said "maybe Karl Roves and the Republicans don't care about business climate, that would explain why we're in the situation that we're in".

"Governing Magazine was also named Virginia as the top governed state in America," Kaine told reporters, "maybe to Karl Rove that isn't an achievement that would explain a federal government that couldn't respond to a hurricane a Katrina and couldn't figure out how to start and manage a war."

Kaine spoke to reporters in Washington after shooting a televised interview Sunday morning.

By the way, in the 2008 Governing Magazine ranking, Virginia shares its top A- rating with two other states: Washington and Utah.

Gov. Kaine is expected to campaign in Virginia for Obama this weekend.

(CNN)—Virginia Governor Tim Kaine – rumored to be on Barack Obama’s shortlist – will spend the day Saturday campaigning for the presumed Democratic nominee.

Kaine told CNN last week he is not eyeing a spot on the Democratic ticket, but he did vow to help the Illinois senator win Virginia and its 13 electoral votes in November.

"I'm not running for anything,” Kaine said. “But my highest and best use is trying to be a good governor and trying to help Sen. Obama in Virginia, which as you know traditionally hasn't gotten a lot of attention in presidential years."

Obama swept the state’s February 12 primary with 63.7 percent of the vote. but the latest CNN electoral map finds Virginia is still a toss up between the Illinois senator and presumed Republican nominee John McCain. The state hasn’t voted for a Democrat since President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. McCain won his party’s Virginia primary with 50 percent of the vote.

CNN's Electoral Map: Who's ahead?

While Obama is in California taking part in a forum hosted by Pastor Rick Warren, Kaine is expected to make six stops in Virginia Saturday, starting in Winchester. He will continue to Leesburg, Manassas, Warrenton, Richmond and Henrico, where he will focus on Obama’s energy independence, employment and tax relief plans.

The two appeared together with in June when Obama campaigned in Virginia. According to the Washington Post, Kaine is also slated to speak on Tuesday night of the Democratic Convention in Denver.

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, left, is Sen. Obama's national campaign co-chairman.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, a top supporter of Sen. Barack Obama, said Wednesday that while he's not running for Obama's vice president, he will do everything he can to help the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate win in Virginia.

"I'm not running for anything. … But my highest and best uses is trying to be a good governor and trying to help Sen. Obama in Virginia, which as you know traditionally hasn't gotten a lot of attention in presidential years," he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

Kaine spoke from Norfolk, Virgina, where he spent the day with Michelle Obama talking to military members and their families.

"I really believe for the first time in 44 years that we have a great chance of getting the electoral votes in a blue column for Sen. Obama this fall," he added.

Virginia hasn't voted for a Democrat since President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 — but for more than a year, Obama's campaign has cited the state's 13 electoral votes as part of its argument that he can reshuffle the electoral map this fall.

Interactive: CNN Electoral Map

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Kaine is staying mum on reports he is on the top of Obama's VP list.

(CNN) — The vice presidential buzz is circling around Gov. Tim Kaine, but the Virginia Democrat refused to address the speculation in a radio interview Tuesday.

"What I said about this is that I have been on board with the campaign since February 2007, but I don't talk about my conversations with the campaign," the first-term governor told Washington radio station WTOP. "You know I save my advice, thoughts, etc., for those conversations and I don't really share them."

Kaine, who hails from an increasingly purple state the Obama campaign hopes to snatch from Republicans this cycle, has long been considered a top vice presidential prospect. But speculation increased Monday night after both the Washington Post and the Politico reported Kaine is on top of the Illinois senator's VP short list.

According to the Washington Post, Kaine has told his close advisers he has had "very serious" conversations with the Obama campaign about the position and is eagerly jockeying for it.

CNN Political Market: Kaine's stock on the rise

But speaking to WTOP on Tuesday, Kaine said he did not endorse Obama to "get anything or get appointed to anything."

"It's flattering to be mentioned, my mom loves it, she calls me, she sees it," he said. "But that's for the campaign to decide. The campaign has made very good decisions thus far. And I think, how ever they decide, they are going to make a very good decision about Senator Obama's running mate."

CNN Election Center: Who's on the VP shortlist?

Later in the broadcast, Kaine also refused to say whether he has any meetings planned with Obama: "I've got my 13-year old daughter in the studio. We have a date right after this and that's the only thing on my calendar."

Many political observers have noted Kaine would bring several advantages to the Democratic ticket — in addition to hailing from a conservative-to-moderate state, he has never served in Washington and could easily espouse Obama's message of change. He, like Obama, is also a fresh face in political circles and a graduate of Harvard Law School.

But Kaine has only served as governor for three years, and it's likely his name on the ticket will do little to assuage voter concerns that Obama lacks the experience to be president. Kaine also does little to shore up the Illinois senator's short resume on national security credentials.

Kaine endorsed Obama early last year.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has hitched his wagon to Barack Obama's star, and if Obama pulls out a win today in the Virginia primary it could pay dividends for Kaine's political future.

Kaine was one of the first politicians outside of Illinois to endorse Obama last year and his name has been floated repeatedly as a potential running mate for Obama were he to win the Democratic nomination.

On Monday, Obama was asked by a Virginia radio host if Kaine would be on his "short list" (he didn't say for what).

"He will certainly be somebody who is on my short list to have a role in my administration," Obama said.

Kaine, elected governor in 2005, is considered an up-and-comer by some national Democrats because of his success in the traditionally red state and his willingness to speak openly about his faith (he is a Catholic). After his election, Kaine was invited by the national party to give the Democratic rebuttal to President Bush's State of the Union address in 2006.

Obama told WRVA radio that Kaine "is as fine a public servant as we have in this country."

The 50-year old governor gave Obama a rousing introduction at last weekend's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Richmond, an annual fundraiser for Virginia Democrats where the Illinois senator was warmly received.

Kaine was asked several times by reporters on Saturday about being on the ticket with Obama, and he seemed to welcome the attention.

"People get mentioned in lists, but I'm one of the Obama co-chairs nationally and I'll be advising him," Kaine said. "I've got some different ideas for him. I think I can be very helpful to Sen. Obama."

– CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby