Warner And Kaine Become Key To Bipartisan Coalitions In U.S. Senate

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 60 votes to do just about anything and there are only 54 Republicans.

That’s already 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," he says.

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," he says.

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 interested in getting things done than scoring political points can come together and I’m optimistic," he says.

Both Warner and Kaine sit on the budget committee and say keeping those indiscriminate budget cuts called sequestration from coming back next year remains a top priority.

###