Senator Tim Kaine announces re-election bid

Jan. 21—A senator representing Southwest Virginia and other parts of the Commonwealth announced Friday that he is planning to run re-election in 2024.

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va., released a statement Friday informing the public that he is running again for the U.S. Senate.

"I am happy to announce that I will seek re-election in 2024 to keep delivering results for Virginia," Kaine said in his announcement. "I've been honored to serve people as a missionary, civil rights lawyer, and elected official at the local, state, and federal levels. I love the Commonwealth and its citizens and want to keep being your senator."

"Whether it's extending the Metro Silver Line to Dulles Airport, improving Amtrak service to Richmond and Roanoke, funding improvements to I-81 and the Coalfields Expressway, building a State Department training facility at Fort Pickett, reducing prescription drug costs, raising the federal tobacco age from 18 to 21, providing mental health resources for frontline workers, saving the Affordable Care Act, guarding the Chesapeake Bay and other critical natural resources, positioning Virginia for leadership in offshore wind, passing the first gun safety legislation in decades, advancing career and technical education, honoring our commitment to Virginia miners and their families, gaining federal recognition for Virginia tribes, or advancing civil rights for all, my team and I approach each day with energy and passion," Kaine stated. "As a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, I have been particularly focused on providing American leadership in a world that badly needs it together with supporting our troops, our veterans, and our military families."

Kaine said that he still has work to do in Congress.

"But there is so much to be done. Because we need more skilled workers, we should invest more in technical training, provide more affordable high-quality child care, and find a path to a work-based immigration reform bill. We need to expand access to mental health services, to battle addiction, and bring down health care costs for all. We need to fight for fundamental liberties, including the freedom to make your own reproductive decisions and the right to vote. Virginia's natural bounty—air, water, open space—needs protection from threats including climate change. and in a world with threats to democracies at home and abroad, we need a national security strategy that keeps us safe while building up the capacity of the U.S. and our allies to link arms against global threats of all kinds.

"Thanks for all your support and guidance over the years."

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com