Government | Politics 2024: MARK WARNER

Virginia’s Democratic senior senator, Warner is particularly known for chairing the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence — and, thanks to a viral pandemic-era video, for making a tuna melt that has been variously described as “cursed” and “an atrocity.”

The co-founder of Nextel and Capital Cellular, with an estimated net worth of $215 million, Warner got involved in politics in the 1990s, when he managed former Gov. Doug Wilder’s gubernatorial campaign. He later chaired the state Democratic Party but lost his first U.S. Senate race in 1996. In 2001, he was elected Virginia’s governor. He is currently serving his third term.

Warner’s biggest successes in recent years include passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, legislation he helped craft that will put $280 billion toward domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors. In July, Warner made headlines for trying to build a coalition of Senate Democrats to convince President Joe Biden to exit the presidential race following Biden’s disastrous performance in the year’s first presidential debate. Warner serves on the Finance, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Budget, and Rules and Administration committees.