OnTheIssuesLogo

Mark Warner on Jobs

Democratic Jr Senator; previously Governor

 


Inclusivity means our spies look like where they're working

Senator Mark Warner weighed in on the issue, arguing that rolling back DEI initiatives could undermine the country's defense capabilities. "If we have spies in Africa, or Latin America, or in Asia, they ought to look like the populations where they're working… I call that good spy practice," he emphasized, highlighting the broader implications of inclusivity initiatives.
Source: WTKR, "DEI Rollback", on 2026 Virginia Senate race , Jan 24, 2025

Bring high-tech, well-paying jobs to small towns

Let me tell you about a place called Lebanon, Virginia. Lebanon's in the coalfields of southwest Virginia. Lebanon's like a lot of small towns in America. It's seen the industries that sustained it downsized, outsourced or shut down. Some folks look at towns like Lebanon and say, "Tough luck. In the global economy, you've lost." But we believed that we couldn't, and shouldn't, give up on our small towns and expect the rest of the state to prosper. And that's what brought me to Lebanon to announce that we were going to bring over 300 high-tech jobs -- jobs that paid twice the county average. One student told a reporter that before this, he always thought that he'd have to move away to raise his family and find a good job. Now, I just heard from this young man, a junior at Virginia Tech. His older brother just moved back home to Lebanon because there was an information technology job open for him that was just too good to pass up. That's a story worth rewriting all across America.
Source: Speech at 2008 Democratic National Convention , Aug 26, 2008

Gilmore opposed helping Tultex, despite Assembly's support

RHETORIC: Warner: "In Southside, even when the legislature wanted to provide extra economic benefits [to displaced Tultex workers], [Gilmore] wouldn't..."

Gilmore: "That's a mischaracterization of what I did with the Tultex people in Southside."

REALITY: The legislation would have paid for health insurance for the unemployed workers, including 3,300 Tultex Corp. employees in Henry County who lost their jobs when the giant sweatshirt maker declared bankruptcy. Gilmore said he had no choice but to veto the assembly's plan, describing it as a "health care benefit entitlement, but only for displaced textile workers in the Martinsville area." [Richmond Times-Dispatch, 5/20/00]

Taking their cue from Gov. Gilmore, Republicans kept legislation to help unemployed textile workers bottled up in committee. The bill had bipartisan support before Gilmore weighed in. [One legislator] said. "There's only one person who is diametrically opposed to this, and he's the governor." [AP, 2/12/00]

Source: 2008 VA Senate Debate: analysis by Warner campaign , Jul 19, 2008

No employment discrimination based on sexual orientation

In 2005, Governor Warner supported and signed legislation to allow insurers and businesses to provide health insurance coverage to the life partners of unmarried employees. Governor Warner also added sexual orientation to the state government's existing prohibitions on employment discrimination.
Source: 2008 Senate campaign website, markwarner2008.com, "Issues" , Mar 9, 2008

Increase minimum wage; support homeless job training

Source: 1996 Congressional National Political Awareness Test , Jul 2, 1996

Ban discriminatory compensation; allow 2 years to sue.

Warner signed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

    Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that an unlawful employment practice occurs when:
  1. a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted;
  2. an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice; or
  3. an individual is affected by application of the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid.
Allows an aggrieved person to obtain relief, including recovery of back pay, for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge, where the unlawful employment practices that have occurred during the charge filing period are similar or related to practices that occurred outside the time for filing a charge. Applies the preceding provisions to claims of compensation discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

[Note: A woman named Lilly Ledbetter filed a lawsuit for gender-based discriminatory compensation. The Supreme Court ruled that Ms. Ledbetter could only sue for damages going back 180 days, and the 180 days was calculated from the time her employment contract was initiated, i.e., her hire date. This new law changes the 180-day period to two years, and also calculates the date from the time of each paycheck, rather than the hire date. -- Ed.]

Source: S.181&H.R.11 2009-S181 on Jan 29, 2009

Let ex-cons apply freely, according to CC survey.

Warner supports the Christian Coalition survey question on "Ban the Box"

The Christian Coalition inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, `Eliminate Barriers to Housing and Employment for Those Who Have Successfully Completed their Sentence?`

[Ed.: `Ban the Box` refers to a checkbox that applicants must check when applying for jobs or housing, indicating whether they have an arrest record or a felony conviction.] Self-description by Christian Coalition of America: "These guides help give voters a clear understanding of where candidates stand on important pro-family issues" for all Senate and Presidential candidates.

Source: CC Survey 20CC-9B on Sep 10, 2020

Other candidates on Jobs: Mark Warner on other issues:
VA Gubernatorial:
Abigail Spanberger
Amanda Chase
Glenn Youngkin
Jennifer Carroll Foy
Jennifer McClellan
Justin Fairfax
Kirk Cox
Lee Carter
Mark Herring
Pete Snyder
Ralph Northam
Terry McAuliffe
Winsome Earle-Sears
VA Senatorial:
David Williams
Hung Cao
Nick Freitas
Scott Parkinson
Tim Kaine

VA politicians
VA Archives
Senate races 2026:
AK: Dan Sullivan(R,incumbent)
vs.Andy Barr(R)
vs.Mary Peltola(D)
AL: Tommy Tuberville(R,retiring)
vs.Barry Moore(R)
vs.Steve Marshall(R)
AR: Tom Cotton(R,incumbent)
vs.Dan Whitfield(I,withdrew)
vs.Ethan Dunbar(D)
CO: John Hickenlooper(D,incumbent)
vs.Janak Joshi(R)
vs.Julie Gonzales(D)
vs.Mark Baisley(R)
DE: Chris Coons(D,incumbent)
vs.Mike Katz(I)
FL: Ashley Moody(R,appointee)
vs.Alan Grayson(D)
vs.Angie Nixon(D)
GA: Jon Ossoff(D,incumbent)
vs.Buddy Carter(R)
vs.Mike Collins(R)
vs.John F. King(R,withdrew)
IA: Joni Ernst(R,retiring)
vs.Ashley Hinson(R)
vs.Bob Krause(D)
vs.Jim Carlin(R)
vs.J.D. Scholten(D,withdrew)
ID: Jim Risch(R,incumbent)
vs.David Roth(D)
vs.Todd Achilles(I)
IL: Richard Durbin(D,retiring)
vs.Juliana Stratton(D)
vs.Raja Krishnamoorthi(D)
vs.Robin Kelly(D)
KS: Roger Marshall(R,incumbent)
vs.Patrick Schmidt(D)
KY: Mitch McConnell(R,retiring)
vs.Charles Booker(D)
vs.Daniel Cameron(R)
vs.Pamela Stevenson(D)
LA: Bill Cassidy(R,incumbent)
vs.John Fleming(R)
vs.Julia Letlow(R)
MA: Ed Markey(D,incumbent)
vs.Seth Moulton(D)
vs.John Deaton(R)
ME: Susan Collins(R,incumbent)
vs.Janet Mills(D)
MI: Gary Peters(D,retiring)
vs.Haley Stevens(D)
vs.Joe Tate(R,withdrew)
vs.Mallory McMorrow(D)
vs.Mike Rogers(R)

MN: Tina Smith(D,retiring)
vs.Angie Craig(D)
vs.David Hann(R)
vs.Peggy Flanagan(D)
vs.Royce White(R)
MS: Cindy Hyde-Smith(R,incumbent)
vs.Ty Pinkins(D)
MT: Steve Daines(R,incumbent)
vs.Reilly Neill(D)
NC: Thom Tillis(R,retiring)
vs.Michael Whatley(R)
vs.Roy Cooper(D)
NE: Peter Ricketts(R,incumbent)
vs.Dan Osborn(I)
NH: Jeanne Shaheen(D,retiring)
vs.Chris Pappas(D)
vs.John Sununu(R)
vs.Scott Brown(R)
NJ: Cory Booker(D,incumbent)
vs.Justin Murphy(R)
NM: Ben Ray Lujan(D,incumbent)
vs.Matt Dodson(D)
OH: Jon Husted(R,appointee)
vs.Sherrod Brown(D)
OK: Markwayne Mullin(R,incumbent)
vs.Troy Green(D)
OR: Jeff Merkley(D,incumbent)
vs.Jo Rae Perkins(R)
RI: Jack Reed(D,incumbent)
vs.Connor Burbridge(D)
SC: Lindsey Graham(R,incumbent)
vs.Catherine Fleming Bruce(D)
vs.Paul Dans(R)
SD: Mike Rounds(R,incumbent)
vs.Brian Bengs(I)
TN: Bill Hagerty(R,incumbent)
vs.Diana Onyejiaka(D)
TX: John Cornyn(R,incumbent)
vs.Ken Paxton(R)
vs.Wesley Hunt(R)
vs.James Talarico(D)
vs.Jasmine Crockett(D)
VA: Mark Warner(D,incumbent)
vs.David Williams(R)
WV: Shelley Moore Capito(R,incumbent)
vs.Jeff Kessler(D)
vs.Tom Willis(R)
WY: Cynthia Lummis(R,retiring)
vs.Harriet Hageman(R)
vs.Reid Rasner(R)
Abortion
Budget/Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy/Oil
Environment
Families
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Govt. Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Jobs
Principles
Social Security
Tax Reform
Technology
War/Peace
Welfare

Other Senators
Congressional Votes (analysis)
Congressional Ratings
Affiliations
Policy Reports




Page last updated: Feb 15, 2026; copyright 1999-2022 Jesse Gordon and OnTheIssues.org