In politics, nothing and no one are perfect.

But we give high marks to the newly minted Democratic team running for president and vice president in 2016.

Hillary Clinton, the nation’s former first lady who has established herself as a U.S. senator, trusted secretary of state under President Obama and now presidential candidate, has chosen Virginia’s own Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate for November.

We hope our readers will give their records a full examination.

Sen. Kaine, who has represented Virginia in the U.S. Senate since 2013, cut his political teeth in Richmond representing a diverse North Side district on City Council before being elected mayor, then lieutenant governor and governor of Virginia.

Anyone who has not been buried during the last few days likely can recite his credentials: Raised in Kansas, he took a year off from Harvard Law School to work as a missionary in Honduras and speaks fluent Spanish. He has worshipped at a black Catholic church in Richmond’s Highland Park neighborhood for more than 30 years.

While winning a few housing discrimination lawsuits does not make someone a civil rights attorney any more than speaking Spanish makes someone Latino, we believe Sen. Kaine has a sincere and deep understanding of many of the profound issues that affect our nation.

And we believe he is motivated to take action to effect positive change in those critical areas, such as tougher gun control, job growth with living wages and increased education funding with expanded opportunities — from early childhood education to technical and vocational training and certification to debt-free college.

With a son serving overseas in the military and a brilliant wife who saw firsthand the needs of families and the problems of young people and the juvenile justice system as a Richmond juvenile court judge and later as state secretary of education, he gets it. His wife, Anne Holton, is one of his greatest assets — like First Lady Michelle Obama is for President Obama.

Having someone with Sen. Kaine’s understanding and background working in the White House, or closely with the White House, would be a plus for the African-American community and communities of color across the nation.

As the Democratic National Convention wraps up Thursday, and the presidential campaign begins in earnest, we challenge Sen. Kaine to publicly address the issues most pressing on our communities — the continued police killings of people of color, the school-to-prison pipeline that siphons off the men and destroys our communities, the inequity in wealth and opportunity in this nation, the efforts by Republicans to roll back Obamacare and affordable and accessible health care for millions, and the growing burdens on the aged and elderly, among others.

Now that the national stage is yours, Sen. Kaine, along with Mrs. Clinton, we urge you to address these issues.

And we urge our readers to never stop asking questions and holding those who want our vote, as well as those who hold elective office, accountable.

We look forward to seeing how the Clinton-Kaine campaign unfolds on the way to the Nov. 8 election.