Virginia’s two Democratic Senators are expected to hold a lot of sway as more moderate voices in the new Republican controlled Senate.
Republicans now control the Senate, but that doesn’t mean they can go it alone. In the upper chamber you need sixty votes to do just about anything and they only have 54 Republicans. That’s making Virginia’s senators prime targets for Republicans looking to build bipartisan coalitions. Senator Mark Warner is already bucking many in his party by tossing his support behind the controversial Keystone XL pipeline that will ship Canadian tar sands through the U-S.
“Keystone, I think, has been overhyped by both sides. There are jobs, not very many permanent jobs. There are environmental consequences, but our own State Department has said since Canada’s going ahead to using this oil, how it’s shipped is less of an environmental question than some have portrayed.”
Senator Tim Kaine is also lining up with Republicans on a bill to make it easier to ship natural gas overseas. He says he’s not worried about offending the liberal wing of his party.
“People here wanted me to run for the Senate. They knew what kind of governor I was. I was a governor who was reaching across the aisle and making things happen and working with two Republican houses when I was governor. There are going to be things where a Republican majority might want help where I just see it differently.”
By teaming up with Republicans early in the new Congress, both of the commonwealth’s senators are becoming key votes on some of the biggest issues the Senate will take up over the next two years. That has pundits saying these middle of the road senators are poised to be some of the most powerful lawmakers in Washington in the 114th Congress, though Kaine disputes whether he’s in the middle or not.
“I would describe it slightly differently. I don’t know that’s somebody’s in the middle. What I have is a track record of cooperating to get things done with Democrats, Republicans and Independents.”
Kaine says time in Richmond is paying off in Washington.
“I was a governor with two Republican houses. Mark Warner was a governor in Virginia with two Republican houses. So we came up in a political environment where you got to cooperate. I’ve been a proud Democrat since I first registered and voted age eighteen. But what voters want us to do in Virginia especially is they want, ‘Okay the election’s over now make things happen.’ So I feel like we always should be looking for partners across the aisle to make things happen.”
Senator Warner echoes that message.
“Obviously, as a Democrat would prefer that Democrats were in control but the biggest message I got loud and clear from the voters, as I got refreshed by the voters was that folks want us to get stuff done. There is not a lot of affection for either political party’s brand.”
Both Warner and Kaine sit on the Budget Committee and say a top priority remains reaching a deal to keep those indiscriminate budget cuts called sequestration from coming back next year.
“For Virginia, we’ve got to avoid the stupidity of sequestration. That means we need to adequately fund our military but it also means we need to adequately fund education and research and infrastructure and finding areas where we can look at program consolidation, where we can get rid of some of the duplication in government.”
Warner says he’s holding out hope that a broad coalition can come together and rework the tax code in a way that makes undoing sequestration easier.
“I think as one who still optimistically looks at the chances for tax reform, we couldn’t create a tax code that’s more cumbersome and complicated and with the economy starting to take off now is the time to rework the tax code to put a supercharge into this economic growth.”
Warner cautions that it’s up to the Republican leaders who now control the gavels on Capitol Hill to set the tone going forward.
“If the Republicans have to start with a united caucus on every issue, it’s still going to be a challenge for them to get to the 60 vote requirement. My hope is that a broader group of moderates of both parties and people who are more interesting in getting things done than scoring political points can come together and I’m optimistic.”
Both Warner and Kaine have proven bipartisan records from their days in Richmond; now all eyes are on them as they attempt to make Washington function again. But in this hyper partisan Congress, most analysts aren’t holding their breath.
