Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia announces bid for reelection in 2024

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine announced Friday that he will seek reelection in 2024.

Kaine has been a fixture in Virginia politics for decades and will likely enter the race as the early favorite in a must-hold seat for Democrats.

"I am happy to announce that I will seek re-election in 2024 to keep delivering results for Virginia," he said in a statement. "I’ve been honored to serve people as a missionary, civil rights lawyer, and elected official at the local, state, and federal levels. I love the Commonwealth and its citizens and want to keep being your Senator.

Kaine served as lieutenant governor under Gov. Mark Warner. In 2005, he defeated Republican Jerry Kilgore in the race for governor and served from 2006 to 2010.

He was also Hillary Clinton’s running mate in the 2016 presidential election - a race they lost to Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

Senator Tim Kaine(D-VA), speaks following the Senate voted on the War Powers resolution, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on February 13, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

READ TIM KAINE'S FULL STATEMENT ANNOUNCING 2024 RE-ELECTION BID

"I am happy to announce that I will seek re-election in 2024 to keep delivering results for Virginia. I’ve been honored to serve people as a missionary, civil rights lawyer, and elected official at the local, state, and federal levels. I love the Commonwealth and its citizens and want to keep being your Senator.

Whether it’s extending the Metro Silver Line to Dulles Airport, improving Amtrak service to Richmond and Roanoke, funding improvements to I-81 and the Coalfields Expressway, building a State Department training facility at Fort Pickett, reducing prescription drug costs, raising the federal tobacco age from 18 to 21, providing mental health resources for frontline workers, saving the Affordable Care Act, guarding the Chesapeake Bay and other critical natural resources, positioning Virginia for leadership in offshore wind, passing the first gun safety legislation in decades, advancing career and technical education, honoring our commitment to Virginia miners and their families, gaining federal recognition for Virginia tribes, or advancing civil rights for all, my team and I approach each day with energy and passion. As a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, I have been particularly focused on providing American leadership in a world that badly needs it together with supporting our troops, our veterans, and our military families.

But there is so much to be done. Because we need more skilled workers, we should invest more in technical training, provide more affordable high-quality child care, and find a path to a work-based immigration reform bill. We need to expand access to mental health services, to battle addiction, and bring down health care costs for all. We need to fight for fundamental liberties, including the freedom to make your own reproductive decisions and the right to vote. Virginia’s natural bounty—air, water, open space—needs protection from threats including climate change. And in a world with threats to democracies at home and abroad, we need a national security strategy that keeps us safe while building up the capacity of the U.S. and our allies to link arms against global threats of all kinds.

"Thanks for all your support and guidance over the years. The best part of my job is being anywhere in the Commonwealth — listening to you, brainstorming solutions to challenging problems, being inspired by your efforts . . . and occasionally inflicting mediocre harmonica playing on tolerant audiences! I hope to earn your support once again to battle for Virginia priorities, champion American innovation, and defend democracy and human rights across the globe."