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Philadelphia • In a cramped Arkansas rental house, Patrice Arent watched her sister, Shereen, get married to Brian Wolfman. It was an intimate, family-only affair, except that Shereen and Brian invited a close friend they met while attending Harvard Law School and, as an added bonus, he agreed to sing.
His name was Tim Kaine.
Now, more than 30 years later, Kaine, a U.S. senator from Viriginia, will take the stage at the Democratic National Convention and accept his party's vice presidential nomination. Arent, a state House member from Utah, will enthusiastically cheer him on as a delegate. Shereen and Brian wouldn't miss it either and are flying in as guests.
While Arent can't remember what song Kaine sang so many years ago, she remembers he did it well.
"He was wonderful," she said.
And she thinks he still is, having gotten to know him even better when Kaine served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 2009, when she was the state's national committeewoman, a post she still holds today.
"He proves that a truly good person can succeed in our political system," Arent said. "He is truly one of the best."
Her immediate excitement wasn't shared by all of Utah's delegates, most of whom are supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and had hoped that Hillary Clinton would pick a more well-known progressive figure, such as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
"We've got Kaine and we've got to make the best of it," said delegate Kevin Perez. "We've got to work with what we got."
Utah Democratic Party Chairman Peter Corroon said he's not surprised there's some grumbling, but he appreciates that Kaine has a long political resume on top of his work as a civil-rights attorney.
"I think he is a great pick, obviously a safe pick for Hillary Clinton, but he's got the experience all the way from city council to senate and governor," he said. "He's a person I think all Democrats can unite behind."
Arent said as Sanders' delegates get to know Kaine "they'll realize he is an amazing person."
As an example of his kindness, Arent said he organized an impromptu birthday party for her in 2009, the day before the Democrats had their annual meeting, which he was leading.
"If elected, he would be an excellent vice president," she said. "He is very modest."