Republican State Senator Bryce Reeves to challenge Mark Warner for U.S. Senate seat

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Mark Warner has a new challenger in next year’s Virginia Senate race. 

Republican State Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Orange) announced Wednesday that he’s joining the field running to unseat Warner in the U.S. Senate. 

“If you look at his previous congressional campaigns, he offers up a Republican message that is very focused on the issues of law and order,” Professor Stephen Farnsworth, Director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, told 8News. 

Reeves’ campaign announcement video highlighted his experience in the United States Army, law enforcement and the Virginia Senate. The video added that Reeves will stand “shoulder to shoulder” with President Donald Trump to make life more affordable, keep the border secure and more. 

“I do think that the strategy here is to reach out to Trump, to get that kind of endorsement, some kind of favorable mention at least, so that you can go into the Republican primary being seen as a pro-Trump Republican,” Farnsworth said. 

Farnsworth said that, although Reeves has more experience than some of the other candidates who typically seek Virginia’s Senate seat, beating Warner will be a major challenge if Reeves wins the Republican nomination. 

“You really do see a pattern where the incumbent party in the White House has a tough environment in the midterm,” Farnsworth told 8News. “Mark Warner has more than $10 million in the bank, and he is able to raise far more as needed as this race progresses.”

In response to Reeves’ announcement, Warner staff pointed us to the following statement from the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Executive Director, Chris Bolling. 

"Bryce Reeves is a perennial candidate who is best known for running and losing elections. Now he's gearing up to lose another by tying himself to Trump's deeply unpopular agenda of cutting taxes for the richest while attacking Virginians' health care. Reeves even opposed expanding Medicaid in Virginia, which has provided life-saving coverage to hundreds of thousands across the Commonwealth. 

Virginians know Mark Warner delivers results and they won’t trade that for another Trump loyalist looking for a promotion.”

Two other candidates, Jason Reynolds and Kim Farington, have also announced their intentions to challenge Warner.