Career Timeline of Mark Warner: Major Achievements and Milestones

How Mark Warner built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Mark Warner is an American politician and businessman who has served as a United States Senator from Virginia since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 69th Governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006. Currently, he holds the position of Vice Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus and Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

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Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

1980: Warner graduates from Harvard Law School and raises money for the Democratic Party

In 1980, Mark Warner graduated from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor and started raising money for the Democratic Party based in Atlanta.

1982: Warner ceases raising money for Democratic Party

In 1982, Mark Warner stopped raising money for the Democratic Party.

1989: Warner co-founded Capital Cellular Corporation

In 1989, Mark Warner co-founded Capital Cellular Corporation.

1989: Warner managed Douglas Wilder's gubernatorial campaign

In 1989, Mark Warner managed Douglas Wilder's successful gubernatorial campaign.

1993: Warner becomes Chairman of the state Democratic Party

In 1993, Mark Warner became chairman of the state Democratic Party.

1995: End of Warner's term as Chairman of the state Democratic Party

In 1995, Mark Warner's term as chairman of the state Democratic Party came to an end.

1996: Warner unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate

In 1996, Mark Warner unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican John Warner.

2001: Warner campaigns for governor

In 2001, Mark Warner campaigned for governor as a moderate Democrat, building up a power base in rural Virginia.

2002: Warner uses 'rainy day fund'

After being elected in 2002, Warner drew upon a $900 million "rainy day fund" left by his predecessor, Jim Gilmore. He also campaigned for regional sales tax increases to fund transportation, but these were rejected by Virginians.

2002: Warner becomes Governor of Virginia

In 2002, Mark Warner assumed the role of the 69th Governor of Virginia.

2003: Warner influences college athletics

In 2003, Governor Mark Warner pressured the Atlantic Coast Conference to revoke an invitation to Syracuse University in favor of Virginia Tech.

2003: Democrats gain seats in Virginia House of Delegates

In 2003, Mark Warner's popularity may have helped Democrats gain seats in the Virginia House of Delegates.

2004: Warner chairs the National Governors Association

In 2004, Mark Warner chaired the National Governors Association.

2004: Warner reforms tax code

In 2004, Mark Warner collaborated with legislators and the business community to reform the tax code, decreasing taxes on food and some income while increasing sales and cigarette taxes, leading to a net tax increase of $1.5 billion annually.

November 29, 2005: Warner commutes death sentence of Robin Lovitt

On November 29, 2005, Governor Mark Warner commuted the death sentence of Robin Lovitt to life imprisonment without parole due to concerns about destroyed evidence.

2005: Warner cannot run for reelection, supports Kaine

Due to term limits, in 2005, Mark Warner could not run for reelection and supported Tim Kaine in the Virginia gubernatorial election.

October 2006: Warner declines to run for President

In October 2006, Mark Warner announced he would not pursue the Democratic nomination for the 2008 U.S. presidential election to avoid disrupting his family life.

October 2006: Warner declines presidential run

In October 2006, Mark Warner announced that he would not run for president, citing family reasons.

2006: End of Warner's term as Governor

In 2006, Mark Warner concluded his service as the 69th Governor of Virginia.

September 13, 2007: Warner announces Senate run

On September 13, 2007, Mark Warner announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by John Warner.

September 24, 2008: Warner holds lead over Gilmore

On September 24, 2008, Mark Warner held a 30-point lead over Jim Gilmore in a Washington Post/ABC News poll.

2008: Warner delivers Keynote Address and declines VP nomination

In 2008, Mark Warner delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention and later withdrew himself from consideration as a potential vice presidential candidate after securing the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate.

2008: Warner delivers keynote address

In 2008, Mark Warner delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.

2008: Warner preparing to run for President

In 2008, Mark Warner was believed to be preparing to run for the Democratic nomination for president before suddenly announcing in October 2006 he would not run for president, citing family reasons.

2008: Warner elected to the Senate

In 2008, Mark Warner was elected to the U.S. Senate.

2009: Warner becomes Senator from Virginia

In 2009, Mark Warner assumed the role of senior United States Senator from Virginia.

2009: Warner votes for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

In 2009, Mark Warner voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and submitted an amendment to track stimulus spending.

2009: Appointed chair of bipartisan task force on government performance

In 2009, Mark Warner was appointed chair of a bipartisan task force on government performance on the Senate Budget Committee.

2009: Warner appointed to Senate committees

In 2009, Mark Warner was appointed to the Senate's Banking, Budget, and Commerce committees.

2010: Warner works on Dodd-Frank Act

In 2010, Mark Warner collaborated with Republican Bob Corker on the Banking Committee to draft a key section of the Dodd-Frank Act, aimed at preventing taxpayer bailouts of failing Wall Street financial firms.

2010: Warner votes for Affordable Care Act

In 2010, Mark Warner voted for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, and discussed adding an amendment package focused on health IT and wellness prevention to address healthcare costs.

2010: Lead sponsor of the Government Performance and Results Act

In 2010, Mark Warner was a lead sponsor of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), which aimed to improve program performance across federal agencies.

2010: Warner requests Commission on Humanities and Social Sciences

In 2010, Mark Warner, along with others, requested that the American Academy of Arts and Sciences form The Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences.

2011: Warner appointed to Senate Intelligence Committee

In 2011, Mark Warner was appointed to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

2011: Warner co-sponsors Startup Act

In 2011, Mark Warner was the original Democratic sponsor of the Startup Act legislation and partnered with Jerry Moran.

November 2012: Warner decides to remain in the Senate

In November 2012, Mark Warner announced he would remain in the Senate after considering a run for Virginia governor, citing his commitment to finding bipartisan solutions to the nation's fiscal challenges.

2012: Warner declines to chair DSCC

In 2012, Mark Warner declined the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to avoid partisanship.

2012: Warner co-sponsors Startup Act 2.0

In 2012, Mark Warner partnered with Jerry Moran to introduce Startup Act 2.0.

January 3, 2013: Warner becomes senior senator

On January 3, 2013, Mark Warner became the senior senator from Virginia after Jim Webb left the Senate and was replaced by Tim Kaine.

March 2013: Announced support for same-sex marriage

In March 2013, Mark Warner publicly announced his support for same-sex marriage in a statement on his Facebook page.

April 17, 2013: Voted to expand background checks for gun purchases

On April 17, 2013, Mark Warner voted in favor of expanding background checks for gun purchases as part of the Manchin-Toomey Amendment.

May 21, 2013: Introduced the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014

On May 21, 2013, Mark Warner introduced the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA) to standardize federal spending reporting.

November 6, 2013: Senate committee passed DATA

On November 6, 2013, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee unanimously passed the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA).

2013: Warner becomes Virginia's senior senator

In 2013, Mark Warner became Virginia's senior senator after Jim Webb retired.

2013: Warner co-sponsors Startup Act 3.0

In early 2013, Mark Warner partnered with Jerry Moran to introduce Startup Act 3.0.

January 27, 2014: Responded to OMB's version of the DATA Act

On January 27, 2014, Mark Warner responded to the White House Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) marked-up version of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA), expressing concerns about proposed changes.

April 10, 2014: Senate passed the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act

On April 10, 2014, the Senate voted by unanimous consent to pass the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act.

April 2014: Senate debated the Minimum Wage Fairness Act

In April 2014, the Senate debated the Minimum Wage Fairness Act (S. 1737; 113th Congress). Warner expressed a willingness to negotiate with Republicans about some of the provisions of the bill.

April 28, 2014: House passed the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act

On April 28, 2014, the House passed the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act in a voice vote.

2014: Introduced the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act

In 2014, Mark Warner introduced the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act.

2014: Warner narrowly reelected to Senate

In 2014, Mark Warner was narrowly reelected to the Senate, defeating Ed Gillespie by only 17,000 votes.

2014: Warner reelected to the Senate

In 2014, Mark Warner was reelected to the U.S. Senate.

July 2015: Cosponsored the Equality Act

In July 2015, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine cosponsored the Equality Act along with 38 other senators and 158 members of the House of Representatives, aiming to prohibit discrimination in housing, education, and the workplace.

2017: Expressed support for Second Amendment rights

In 2017, Mark Warner stated he was a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights and would advocate for responsible gun ownership for hunting, recreation, and self-defense.

2018: Changed position on Assault Weapons Ban

In 2018, Mark Warner changed his position on the 2013 Assault Weapons Ban in an op-ed and co-sponsored similar efforts.

2018: Warner supports easing banking regulations

In 2018, Mark Warner was among a minority of Senate Democrats supporting a bill to ease "key banking regulations", arguing that it would "right-size post-crisis rules imposed on small and regional lenders and help make it easier for them to provide credit".

January 2019: Introduced Background Check Expansion Act

In January 2019, Mark Warner was among 40 senators who introduced the Background Check Expansion Act, which aimed to require background checks for all firearms sales, including those by unlicensed sellers.

January 2019: Warner introduces the American Miners Act of 2019

In January 2019, Mark Warner was one of six Democratic senators to introduce the American Miners Act of 2019, aimed at amending the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to bolster the 1974 Pension Plan and prevent its insolvency.

June 2019: Warner introduces PAID AD Act

In June 2019, Mark Warner and Amy Klobuchar introduced the Preventing Adversaries Internationally from Disbursing Advertising Dollars (PAID AD) Act, aiming to modify U.S. federal campaign finance laws to prohibit foreign nationals from purchasing political ads on platforms during election years.

September 2019: Warner advocates for coal miner benefits

In September 2019, amid government shutdown discussions, Mark Warner joined five other Democratic senators in signing a letter to congressional leadership, advocating for legislation to permanently fund health care and pension benefits for retired coal miners.