What does a US senator really do and why is voting in this race so important?

It’s not just the president on the ballot this year—about one-third of the US Senate seats are up for grabs, including one in Virginia.

Have you ever wondered what, exactly, the people on your ballot do once they’re elected? For US Senators, the job focuses on everything from community engagement to decisions that impact the entire country. 

Each state elects two people to serve in the US Senate, for a total of 100 senators nationwide. In Virginia, the current US senators are Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.

Senators serve six-year terms, and approximately one-third of the Senate seats go up for reelection every two years. Unlike the president, senators are not limited on the amount of time they can spend in office.

Some duties US senators perform include introducing and voting on potential laws, conducting investigations and oversight of the executive branch and other federal agencies, and addressing the needs and concerns of the people of their state.

US Senators also lead in various positions, which highlight specific areas of expertise. Warner is chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence and serves on a multitude of other committees. Kaine also serves on several committees, including the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Foreign Relations Committee, and others.

Candidates, key issues, and track records

In November, incumbent Kaine, a Democrat, will go up against retired Navy captain Hung Cao, a Republican. The two candidates differ in opinion on several key issues, and it’s important for voters to know where the men stand.

The son of an ironworker, Kaine has dedicated his life to public service. The US Senator has done everything from volunteer work in Honduras to becoming a civil rights lawyer. He also served in local office in Richmond before becoming Governor of Virginia and the vice presidential nominee in 2016. 

Kaine made “Standing Up for Virginia” the motto of his 2024 campaign to reflect the fight happening in politics today. The senator also vowed to continue standing up to former president Donald Trump and his conservative allies in Congress.

Kaine is an adamant supporter of reproductive rights and has also worked hard to lower both the infant and maternal mortality rate.

In 2022, Coa ran for a seat in Virginia’s 10th congressional district, but lost to Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton. Cao also recently made headlines for a comment on the conversation of universal healthcare. He said: “No one in the US is like, ‘Oh my gosh, I will die if I don’t have health care.’”

Dogwood’s political correspondent Michael O’Connor analyzed healthcare data in an article. He found that if everyone in the US had health care, it would prevent about 68,000 deaths a year, according to a 2020 study published by the medical journal The Lancet. The figure is actually a conservative estimate because it doesn’t factor in the lives saved for people who have insurance but avoid care because they can’t afford their copays and deductibles, an author of the study told Newsweek.