Mark Warner - U.S. Senate

On his first day as governor in 2002, Mark Warner inherited the worst budget shortfall in Virginia history. During his four year term, he got Virginia back on track and restored integrity to the budget process. He cut spending, implemented cost-saving reforms, and then worked in an honest and responsible way with Republicans and Democrats to reform Virginia’s outdated tax code. Governor Warner made record investments in education, environmental protection, created jobs, and Virginia was named the best managed state in the nation.

Here is the story about how Mark Warner fixed Virginia's budget mess.

2001: Discovering The Budget Mess

In 2001, Virginia was in trouble. The post-September 11th recession and poor fiscal management had created the worst budget shortfall in our state's history. The crisis put the state’s most essential public services at risk, from public and higher education, to health care and public safety. It also threatened Virginia’s highest-possible AAA bond rating – the Commonwealth's long-held validation that it had its fiscal act together.

The Daily Press of Newport News said that Governor Warner "inherited a royal fiscal mess." According to the Washington Post, during his predecessor's administration, spending rose more than 40 percent, greater than all but three states. The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk wrote at the end of 2001:

2004: Fiscal Turnaround

When Mark Warner was sworn in as governor in January 2002, he confronted the challenges head-on. He brought a business-minded approach to reduce government waste and inefficiency, streamlined state agencies and cut budgets by an average of 20 percent.

Then, in 2004, Governor Warner worked with Democrats and Republicans to pass a bipartisan tax reform package and eliminated the near $6 billion shortfall, saved Virginia’s AAA bond-rating, achieved the second lowest jobless rate in the nation, and made the single largest investment in K-12 education in state history, according to The Hill. His efforts were supported by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the AARP, and the Virginia Education Association.

In 2006, Patrick McSweeney, a former state chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, a columnist and a frequent critic, gave Governor Warner this send-off:

Mark Warner was recognized nationally for his bipartisan, results-oriented approach to fixing Virginia’s budget mess:

At the end of his term the Virginian-Pilot said, “Warner kept Virginia focused on essentials,” and “left Virginia in much better shape than he found it.”

Here is what Virginians say about Mark Warner's term as Virginia governor: