Issue Position: Virginia First

Issue Position

Mark Warner's guiding philosophy on governing is simple: Virginia first. Throughout his public career, he has repeatedly reached across the aisle to solve problems for the people of the Commonwealth. Sen. Warner's record of taking on these types of tough challenges led Republican former Sen. John Warner to break with tradition in 2014 and endorse Democrat Mark Warner's bid for re-election. "There are times you must, I think, recognize that certain individuals are superior in their talents and in what they have done and can potentially do for your state," John Warner said.

Bipartisanship Works

The power of bipartisanship is one of the lasting lessons Sen. Warner learned while Governor of Virginia. Republicans held overwhelming majorities in both the House of Delegates and the State Senate, yet he was able to find a compromise solution in 2004 to reform Virginia's budget and tax systems to put Virginia on a sound financial footing. It took both sides working together to make it happen, and the results speak for themselves: Virginia saved its Triple-A bond rating, 130,000 new private sector jobs were established in Virginia, a $6 billion budget shortfall was turned into a $1 billion surplus, and the Commonwealth earned accolades as the country's Best Managed State, the Best State for Business, and the Best State for Educational Opportunities.

Working with U.S. Senate Republicans

The best policy solutions come from people looking to serve their constituents first. That has been Sen. Warner's philosophy throughout his career in public service, and he has brought this get-it-done attitude to Washington. He has worked with Republicans to promote innovation and start-up businesses, and to rebuild our nation's outdated infrastructure. He has worked with a Republican partner to rewrite the rules of the road for Wall Street banks and the mortgage finance industry. On every major piece of legislation Mark has introduced, he has had a Republican co-sponsor. That's because he knows that when you find common ground, you can get things done.

Gang of Six

In 2010, Mark partnered with Republican Saxby Chambliss of Georgia to form the Senate's "Gang of Six," which worked for two years to transform the bipartisan recommendations of the Simpson-Bowles Commission into legislative language. Members of both political parties, business leaders, economists, and leading national commentators have all praised Sen. Warner's efforts to reduce the nation's deficits and debt. The Gang of Six eventually produced a bipartisan framework to reign-in government spending, reform taxes and strengthen entitlement programs. Even though the Gang of Six plan never got a vote in Congress, the framework was endorsed by 46 senators and more than 100 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

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