Photos by The Associated Press

Gov. Tim Kaine addresses local school officials and state officials during a visit to New Horizons Regional Education Center in Hampton, Va., Wednesday. Kaine is widely believed to be on the short list of possible running mates for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Obama speaks at a town hall meeting in Lynchburg Wednesday.

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RICHMOND — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wrapped up a two-day campaign swing through Virginia today by sharpening his criticism of Republican rival John McCain and keeping people guessing about his choice of a running mate.

Obama appeared with Gov. Tim Kaine at an event in Chesterfield County, heightening speculation about Kaine’s prospects for joining Obama on the ticket.

Obama is expected to announce his decision by Saturday, when he is scheduled to appear with his running mate in Illinois. Kaine and his senior staff met privately with Obama for about 15 minutes this morning, but the governor would not say whether he has been told of Obama’s decision.

"I’m going to let the campaign take it from here," Kaine told reporters after speaking at a drunken driving prevention event in Hanover County this afternoon.

"They’re going to reveal what they want to reveal when they want to reveal it," Kaine said. "Again, it’s been nice to be mentioned, but I’m going to let them do the heavy lifting from this point."

Kaine said he plans to fly to Denver Friday night in advance of the Democratic National Convention, which begins Monday. Kaine has yet to appear on the convention’s speaking schedule, but said Thursday that "we have in been discussions with them and they will announce the schedule when it is set."

Kaine joined Obama for an outdoor, town hall-style meeting at John Tyler Community College in Chester, where about 300 supporters gathered in a tree-shaded picnic area to hear the Democrats. Obama used the event as a forum to draw contrasts with McCain on economic issues, portraying McCain as out-of-touch with the concerns of working families.

Obama seized on a story published by Politico in which McCain revealed that he was unsure how many homes he and his wife own. After telling the audience that McCain owns seven homes, Obama said the Republican is disconnected from the anxieties of people struggling to make mortgage payments and cover rising food and energy costs.

"If you don’t know how many houses you have, then it’s not surprising that you might think the economy is fundamentally strong," Obama said. "But if you’re like me, and you got one house, or you are like the millions of people who are struggling right now to keep up with their mortgage so they don’t lose their home, then you might have a different perspective."

McCain’s campaign was quick to hit back, reminding reporters that Obama purchased his Chicago home with the help of a political contributor who was later convicted on unrelated fraud and bribery charges.

"Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses?" said McCain spokesman Brian Rogers in a written statement. "Does a guy who worries about the price of arugula and thinks regular people ‘cling’ to guns and religion in the face of economic hardship really want to have a debate about who’s in touch with regular Americans?"

Obama will hold another campaign event in Chesapeake this evening.