Former Virginia Senate Republican leader Tommy Norment is crossing the party aisle to endorse U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., for re-election to the U.S. Senate.
Norment, who retired in 2024 after 32 years in the Senate, is among five former Republican leaders who endorsed Warner on Wednesday in his bid for a fourth and, he says, final term.
Two of them — former Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, R-10th, and former Congressman Denver Riggleman, R-5th — have publicly supported Democratic candidates before, notably Gov. Abigail Spanberger. Two other former state senators — John Watkins, R-Powhatan, and Ken Stolle, R-Virginia Beach — also endorsed Warner in his election against Republican challenger Bert Mizusawa.
“We haven’t always agreed on every issue, but that’s the point,” Warner said. “You don’t have to agree on everything to believe in working together to put Virginia ahead of partisan politics.”
“We need leaders who are willing to work across the aisle, make tough choices, and actually get to yes,” he said. “That’s the approach I brought to the governor’s office, working with a Republican-controlled General Assembly, and it’s the approach I’ve carried with me in the Senate.”
As governor, Warner won the support of enough Republicans in 2004 to persuade the legislature to pass a $1.3 billion package of tax increases to balance the state budget and pay for core services.
Norment was among the Republicans who voted for that tax package, but he also led the Senate Republican Caucus aggressively for 17 years while also serving as either majority or minority leader — the longest-serving Republican Senate leader in state history.
“During my 32 years in the Virginia Senate, I learned that governing requires trust, honest negotiation, and a willingness to find common ground without surrendering your principles,” Norment said in a statement. “I watched Mark Warner bring that approach to the Governor’s Office, working with a Republican-controlled General Assembly to confront a serious budget crisis and put Virginia on stronger financial footing.”
“We did not always agree, but Mark listened, kept his word, and got results,” he said. “Just as importantly, he respected the General Assembly’s constitutional role and understood that executive power has limits. He never treated the Constitution’s checks and balances as obstacles to work around; he understood that they are safeguards every leader is bound to honor, regardless of party.”
Comstock and Riggleman also praised Warner’s bipartisan approach to governing.
“Mark understands that the Constitution’s limits on presidential power apply to everyone, regardless of party,” said Comstock, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, a Republican. “Mark is always willing to work across the aisle to strengthen our national security, support Virginia’s technology economy, deliver results, and respect and protect the institutions of our government.”
Riggleman said, “When I served in Congress as a Republican, I learned that loyalty to the Constitution must come before loyalty to any president or party. It’s why I’m an independent today, and it’s the Virginia Way: you support the best candidate, and the letter after their name doesn’t matter.”
Watkins, who served for 34 years in the General Assembly before retiring in 2016, said, “As a businessman and longtime legislator, I have always judged leaders by whether they can turn ideas into results. I watched Mark Warner do that as governor … In the Senate, he has continued that record by delivering major investments in roads, passenger rail, broadband and advanced manufacturing.
“He is also looking ahead to how artificial intelligence will change the way Virginians work and do business, and he understands the need to prepare workers while keeping Virginia competitive.”
Stolle served in the Virginia Senate for 20 years and then as Virginia Beach sheriff for 13 years.
“Across those years and across party lines, we built a strong professional relationship and a lasting personal friendship,” he said of Warner. “My experience has reinforced for me that, regardless of party affiliation, public officials must respect the rule of law, work constructively across branches of government and answer to the people they serve.”
