A Constituent’s Call for You to NOT Seek Reelection

Dear Senators Warner and Kaine, I am writing as a Virginia constituent, and I will be direct: first to Senator Warner: I am asking you not to seek a fourth term in the United States Senate. When you first ran for this seat in 1996, you made a clear, public pledge to serve no more than two terms. That promise is on record. You are now running for a fourth term, having broken that commitment entirely. Virginians took you at your word. You were not honest with us. Beyond the broken promise, I am deeply concerned about whose interests you are actually serving. You have accepted over $361,000 from the pro-Israel lobby over the course of your career — money that creates obligations to donors, not to the people of Virginia. Too often, both you and Senator Kaine have prioritized the corporations and PACs that fund your campaigns over the constituents you were elected to represent. I am also troubled by your repeated votes to confirm nominees from an administration that is actively dismantling constitutional rights and democratic norms. Voting to advance these confirmations is not bipartisanship — it is complicity. Virginia and the Democratic Party need new leadership. The old approach is no longer adequate to meet the moment we are in. Too many senior senators have clung to power long past the point of effectiveness, some until they died in office. That is not service — it is entrenchment. Virginia deserves a senator who brings fresh energy, new ideas, and a genuine commitment to fighting authoritarianism rather than accommodating it. I am asking you to honor the spirit of the promise you made to Virginians nearly 30 years ago, and step aside. And to Senator Kaine, I ask of you the same. Let someone younger lead. Respectfully, Your constituent