Incumbent

By Mark Warner (Democrat)

I’ve spent nearly 30 years in the Commonwealth, first as a businessman, and later as a public servant helping Virginians get ahead of the challenges facing the country. As Governor, I oversaw the largest ever investment in education while balancing the budget and making the Commonwealth the best managed state and best state for business. More recently, as Senator, I’ve expanded resources for Virginians, no matter their background, by bolstering telehealth, broadband connectivity and portable work benefits.

Today, the nation is reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic, the resulting economic downturn, and a long-overdue reckoning with racial injustice. And even before the pandemic, Americans were facing a changing economy, making it harder to ensure everyone got their own fair shot to succeed.

To ensure we get the Covid-19 pandemic under control we must listen to the scientists and experts. There must be a national plan for widespread testing and contact tracing of the virus along with a plan for the procurement and distribution of PPE to local health workers, first responders, front-line and essential workers. State and local governments need the support and flexibility to meet the needs of their localities, while schools and childcare centers should be allowed to make decisions that best support students, educators, and parents. Congress should work to mitigate economic downturn by supporting small businesses and providing payroll support to keep workers employed. As well, we should make targeted investments to support long-term growth by investing in communities who are the hardest hit, including minority and low-income communities. Further, to help all Americans we should focus on quality education and training for workers, including targeted loan forgiveness to give individuals reprieve on their crushing student debt during the pandemic, and then make important investments in reskilling and life-long learning programs as the country begins to recover.

I am committed to continuing to champion economic opportunities for all Virginians. Whether it’s increasing investments in low-income and minority communities, or giving workers the ability to move up the career ladder by supporting smart upskilling proposals, I am working so that all Virginians have that opportunity to succeed. I support ensuring that we have a fair and equitable tax system that invests in workers similar to investments made in innovation, research and development. I am fighting to counter the growing threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party by supporting American values and making sure key industries in America have the federal support they need to compete, and win. I have continued to cut unnecessary red tape to ensure small businesses can thrive in the economy, and ensure that workers get fair pay. I also believe more must be done to ensure more equality for all Americans, including by supporting common sense criminal justice reforms such as the historic Justice in Policing Act.
As Senator, I have a proven history of bringing a bipartisan approach to problem solving, with over 55 bills signed into law, almost all with strong bipartisan support. Just this summer, the President signed my bipartisan bill which will make a record investment in National Parks, and also create 10,000 jobs in Virginia.

There is no more sacred right as an American than the right to vote. We must take steps to restore and strengthen the promise of the Voting Rights Act. I am an original co-sponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which will restore the full protections of the original, bipartisan Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013. As Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I am proud of the work that our Committee has done to secure our elections against foreign interference. Our five-volume, comprehensive review of Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election is the only bipartisan review of what happened in 2016. I am committed to supporting bipartisan solutions that can keep our election system secure, safe, and free of any foreign influence. Voting security also means finding ways to get ahead of innovations in technology, and I have been a leader in the Senate on ways to regulate our social media companies by forcing them to counter misinformation, limit manipulative tactics and protect individuals’ data and privacy.

We are at a critical time in our country, and I am focused on doing what is best for Virginians.

Senator Mark Warner is one of two Virginia’s representatives in the U.S. Senate

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Challenger

By Daniel Gade (Republican)

I am not a career politician, nor am I interested in power or prestige at the expense of the American citizen.

Instead, this is about honoring the sacred values that began and will sustain our Republic and about serving the people of the Commonwealth.
Since I was seventeen, I have served the American people, and I look forward to serving Virginia in the Senate.

I will fight for Virginia with the same oath, but on a new mission.
I am running for the US Senate because our freedoms are still worth fighting for.

Bipartisanship

Covid-19 has created a situation where leaders no longer have a choice on what we are going to work across the aisle to solve. Now our businesses need help, our health care capacity is being strangled and parents are seeing firsthand what’s going on in our kids’ schools.

I am in this race to solve hard problems like these. Mark Warner had a chance to deliver much-needed relief to Virginia families, including additional testing and vaccine funding.

Sadly, he voted to withhold relief from Virginia families because it was a Republican proposal.

Career politicians like my opponent view this crisis as a tool to push a partisan agenda and score cheap political points, not solve hard problems like I have done in 25 years of military service.

Once we win this war against COVID-19, I will work with Democrats and Republicans to regain our record economic growth, reform a health care system that puts patients first and ensure our education system meets the needs of a post-coronavirus America.

Supreme Court

I believe a judge or justice should interpret the Constitution as our founders wrote it and not be swayed by political forces.

My opponent prefers a justice who will legislate from the bench, ignore the Constitution and rule in favor of whatever the party demands.

The president’s authority to appoint judges and the Senate’s responsibility to advise and consent do not expire during elections.

The Senate has a duty to hear the president’s nominee and give her a vote. I fully support Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

She is an accomplished jurist, mother and role model.

In 2016, “Flip” Mark said the Senate should “#DoYourJob”, giving Merrick Garland a hearing and an up-or-down vote. In this, I agree with Mark.

However, “Flop” Mark now has switched his position because it’s politically expedient to do so.

Now the Senate should do its job and give Barrett a hearing and an up-or-down vote.

Federal Role on Handling Covid-19

The federal government has unique abilities.

First, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies can leverage their expertise and resources to assist the local leaders who are on the front lines of Covid-19.

Second, the federal government can direct emergency resources to local governments. Mark Warner, remember, voted against that just a few weeks ago, hurting Virginia and Virginia families.

Third, the federal government can and should secure our borders, rethink the nature of our relationship with China, and prepare for the next pandemic by securing our supply chain for pharmaceutical products and personal protective equipment.

Daniel Gade is the Republican Party’s candidate in the election for one of Virginia’s U.S. Senate seats