2016 Vice Presidential prospects: on Civil Rights

Tim Kaine: Property rights important when mapping pipeline routes

Tom Vilsack: Appointed judges who said yes to gay marriage

Tim Kaine: Same-sex couples should have the same legal rights

But reporters pressed Kaine on whether marriage is a civil right; Kaine responded, "Relationship equality is a civil right." Asked whether gay couples should be given marriage licenses, he said, "There should be a license that would entitle a committed couple to the same rights as a married couple." But would that be called a marriage license? "I think the labels get in the way of the issue," Kaine said.

Tim Kaine: 2005: No gay adoption; 2011: gay adoption okay

Questions surrounding gay couples have long followed Kaine. A year ago, he said that he believed gay couples should be able to adopt if a judge determined that it was in the best interests of a child. That marked a shift from when Kaine ran for governor in 2005, when he said he opposed any unmarried couples -- gay or heterosexual -- being able to adopt children.

Kaine wouldn't say whether his position on gay marriage differed from Obama's, which the White House has said is "evolving." Kaine said, "People like to ding the president on that word but the answer is, it's exactly what's happening in society."