Kaine Visits the Windy City

Didn't know Gov. Tim Kaine out of Virginia recently and in Chicago instead? We wouldn't either, if it weren't for our colleague Peter Slevin, who happened to spot him last week in the Windy City, where Kaine was doing some fundraising and outreach to Democratic volunteers who had been active in the Obama campaign.

That's because Kaine does not release a full schedule of his travels and activities, citing security and privacy concerns. Instead, his governor's office puts out only a bare bones public gubernatorial schedule. It includes official trips he takes as governor but no private travel nor expeditions he makes in his role as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

See Gov. Kaine out and about or hear about another of his unscheduled stops? E-mail me.

Out-of-town travel can be a particularly touchy topic for elected officials. D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty got zinged in March when he only revealed he'd taken a trip to Dubai after he'd returned.

The topic could prove particularly tough for Kaine, given that Republicans have already been on him for trying to wear two hats at once--Virginia executive and head of the DNC. It's hard to judge how well he's doing at handling both without knowing how much of his time he's spending on either. We plan to keep asking for this information--and we'll let you know what we find out.