Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) predicted in a Tuesday interview that Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) will be able to identify “areas of agreement” with Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly and ultimately pass legislation.
Kaine, citing his own experience leading a divided Virginia government as governor from 2006 through 2010, reflected to WTOP News, “We disagreed on a lot, but we always found things we could agree on.”
Republicans held the Virginia House of Delegates throughout Kaine’s governorship, and at one point also held the Virginia Senate. Still, Kaine noted to the outlet that he was able to lead the charge on bipartisan legislation to ban smoking in Virginia’s bars and restaurants.
“What I’ve learned is that you can predict the areas of disagreement, but not until you sit and listen, do you find the areas of agreement,” the senator told the WTOP News. He added, “If you sit and listen long enough, you will find them.”
Kaine forecasted that Youngkin and Democrats will reach areas of agreement on “substance abuse treatment and prevention,” calling it a “nonpartisan issue” that “affects every last corner of the Commonwealth.”
Still, the senator acknowledged that Youngkin and Democrats have “some differences of opinion around the budget, taxes and spending” but predicted to the outlet that they will be “hammered out” between the parties.
Virginia Democratic leaders and Youngkin have both envisioned areas of bipartisan agreement, but Democrats have also pledged to push through constitutional amendments protecting abortion and allowing for the automatic restoration of voting rights for felons, as well as new gun laws to restrict firearm ownership of rifles.
Additionally, while Youngkin’s recent budget and proposals call for more than $1 billion in funding for education and mental health, Virginia Delegate Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke) claimed the governor’s education spending will fail to adequately support students with disabilities and those learning English as a second language.
Democrats have also signaled opposition to Youngkin’s plan to remove the state’s car tax, with Rasoul and State Senator Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) calling the proposal “very disappointing” and claiming Youngkin’s plan to increase the Virginia sales tax while lowering its income tax would only cut “taxes for the wealthy” while stripping funding from schools.
Surovell claimed Youngkin’s budget and his manner of announcing it “does not get us off on the right foot when we have to govern together for the next two years.”
In a fundraising email to his supporters, Kaine recently claimed Youngkin was considering a campaign to challenge his seat in the U.S. Senate in 2024, though the governor has maintained he has no interest in another office.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tim Kaine” by Tim Kaine. Background Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Doug Kerr. CC BY-SA 2.0.
