Our country was founded on the principle that “all men are created equal,” and Tim has dedicated his life to ensuring America lives up to that principle. He started his career as a civil rights lawyer, representing people facing discrimination by banks, landlords, and local governments.
As U.S. Senator, Tim has worked tirelessly to defend our fundamental freedoms and level the playing field so every Virginian – regardless of race, religion, country of origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, or age – can succeed and thrive. After an extreme majority on the Supreme Court gutted key protections in the Voting Rights Act, Tim got to work to protect the right to vote and was a key negotiator for the Freedom to Vote Act, legislation that would improve access to the ballot for Americans, advance commonsense election reforms and protect our democracy from attacks. Tim has supported equal pay for equal work, cosponsoring the Paycheck Fairness Act so that women and men are paid equally for the same work. Tim supports the Equality Act so that no LGBTQ+ person can be fired from their job, be kicked out of their homes, or be denied health care because of who they are or who they love. He knows hate has no home in Virginia, which is why he has worked to pass legislation named after Heather Heyer, a Virginian murdered by a white supremacist in Charlottesville in 2017, to expand resources to victims of hate crimes and improve hate crimes reporting. Tim led efforts to obtain long-delayed federal recognition for seven Virginia tribes, enabling them to access critical resources for tribal members and their broader communities.
