Three days before the start of the Democratic National Convention, presumptive presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has picked Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate. Zack Fink filed the following report.

Ending the waiting game, in a tweet to supporters Friday night, Hillary Clinton announced her running mate.

She then tweeted a link to video featuring her and Kaine on the campaign trail.

The much-anticipated announcement of Kaine comes just three days before Democrats head to Philadelphia for their convention.

Kaine is the current senator from Virginia. He previously served as governor of that state and also chaired the Democratic National Committee.

Clinton was asked about Kaine as a possible running mate during a PBS interview last week.

"He's never lost an election. He was a world-class mayor, governor and senator, and is one of the most highly-respected senators I know," she said.

Earlier this month, Kaine campaigned with Clinton in Virginia, previewing what the Democratic ticket would look like.

"Donald Trump trash talks women. He trash talks folks with disabilities," Kaine said.

Kaine was considered by some to be the safe choice, but he is not terribly popular with the progressive wing of the party. He is a supporter of free-trade agreements, including NAFTA and the TPP, which critics, including Clinton's former rival Bernie Sanders, claim send American jobs overseas. An opponent of the death penalty, Kaine still allowed 11 executions as governor.

But the pick of Kaine appears to be aimed more at middle-of-the-road voters than liberals, and pulling independents away from Trump.

"Do you want a trash-talker president or a bridge-builder president? That's what's at stake," Kaine said.

Another benefit with Kaine is that he speaks Spanish. Observers say Trump has already alienated many Hispanic-Americans with his anti-immigrant rhetoric. But Kaine on the Democratic ticket is now literally speaking those voters' language.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign said, "The choice has never been clearer - Donald Trump calls on us to Believe in America, while the Status Quo ticket of Clinton-Kaine wants us to believe in a rigged system that enriches them at your expense."

On Monday night, Democrats will kick off their convention in Philadelphia. Both New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo are expected to have speaking roles. Clinton is expected to formally accept the nomination of her party with a speech Thursday night.