Mark Warner

Democrat

In OfficeUS Senate RunningUS Senate · Democratic Primary

About

Early Life and Career

The son of a World War II Marine veteran, Mark Warner grew up in a working-class household. His family moved every few years but he was always able to attend good public schools. Mark was the first person in his family to graduate from college – putting himself through George Washington University through a combination of jobs and student loans. Early in his career, Mark Warner invested his life savings – a few thousand dollars – into starting a company. It failed after six weeks. So he tried again, and the next business failed after six months. But Mark didn't give up, and his third venture broke through: a cell phone company back when everyone was still using landlines. The values that defined Mark's early career continue to guide him every day in the Senate: a commitment to innovation, persistence in the face of a new challenge, and the notion that everyone – regardless of their background – should get the same fair shot that he did.

Governor of Virginia

In 2001, Mark was elected Governor of Virginia. As governor, he worked with a two-to-one Republican legislature to turn a record budget shortfall into a surplus. When he left office, Virginia was named the "Best Managed State," "Best State for Business," and "Best State for a Lifetime of Education."

Positions

Lowering Costs

The United States is 3.7 million homes short of meeting basic housing needs. In the Senate, Mark's plan is designed to expand housing supply and bring down costs by encouraging rehabilitation of existing structures, speeding up permitting, and making it easier for first-time homebuyers to obtain their first mortgage. He has also worked to drive down the cost of child care by addressing the child care labor crisis.

Universal Healthcare

During his first term in the Senate, Mark helped write the Affordable Care Act, and has worked ever since to strengthen it. He believes that the only way to lower premiums and keep the health care system sustainable is to ensure every American has access to an affordable basic standard of care. Without access to health care coverage, people still get sick. They end up in emergency rooms, which is the most expensive type of care, raising costs for everyone.

Preparing for AI

Washington is largely unprepared for the coming AI jobs crisis and we urgently need forward-looking policies to prepare our economy for this new era. Mark believes the AI companies and big corporations that stand to massively profit from this disruption must do their part, including preparing workers for the economy of the future and paying their fair share of the enormous energy demands AI will place on our grid.

Roads, bridges and broadband

As a primary author of the landmark bipartisan infrastructure bill, Mark secured funding to expand high-speed internet in rural Virginia and key transportation and infrastructure projects throughout the Commonwealth. Because of Mark's work, Virginia leads the nation in access to broadband and is on track to be among the first states with universal broadband access.