Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine announced on Tuesday that he will run for the Virginia Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) in 2012.

In an two-minute online video released to kick off his widely anticipated Senate campaign, Kaine introduced himself to the state's voters as a 26-year resident of Richmond who went on to become a councilman and mayor of the state's capital city before serving as governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010.

"While we still have an awful lot of work to do to help Virginians who are struggling in a tough time, I know that Washington can learn a few things from Virginia," Kaine said in the ad. "When we attack common obstacles instead of each other, we solve problems and get things done."

Kaine's entrance into the Virginia race sets up what is by all accounts poised to become one of the most contentious Senate battles of the 2012 cycle. The race stands as a Republican pick-up opportunity in a state that could prove critical to President Obama's re-election hopes.

Former Virginia Senator George Allen, who lost his seat to Webb in 2006, appears likely to be Kaine's Republican opponent in the general election.

In a preview of efforts to position himself as a centrist, Kaine made no mention of President Obama or his time helming the DNC in the web video announcing his campaign.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released a statement following the announcement that disparaged Kaine as the epitome of the Democratic establishment and declared that Republicans "welcome the clear contrast" that his candidacy will evoke.

"Over the last several years, Tim Kaine has been the most vocal cheerleader in Washington for the reckless fiscal policies and massive expansion of government that have been the hallmark of the Obama Administration," NRSC Communications Director Brian Walsh said. "And now Tim Kaine is staking his election hopes on this costly partisan agenda that has failed to create new jobs while driving our national debt past $14 trillion."

Kaine's decision to enter the Senate race leaves a high-profile vacancy at the DNC. Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) are rumored to be top choices for the post of chairman, although Democratic officials have not yet coalesced behind a successor.

Kaine is scheduled to speak about economic policy in Richmond on Wednesday morning and will then hold a press conference in front of the state Capitol.