EARLY DAYS & FAMILY LIFE
The son of a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima, Mark grew up in a family that moved around a lot. An active Boy Scout, enthusiastic but unaccomplished athlete, and senior class president, he approached every day with the same qualities that still define him: genuine warmth, an approachable spirit, and an unshakable drive to get things done. The first person in his family to graduate from college, he earned his degree as valedictorian of George Washington University before continuing on to Harvard Law School.
Mark met his wife, Lisa, at a party in Northern Virginia. Together, they raised three daughters – Madison, Gillian,
and Eliza – and are now proud grandparents to two boys.
SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR
Mark graduated law school with a degree but little interest in practicing law – he wanted to build something that mattered, create jobs, and get things done. After a few unsuccessful business ventures, and a long period of couch surfing, he went on to co-found the company that would become the wireless carrier Nextel. For over 20 years, he built a career as a tech entrepreneur, and invested in hundreds of start-up technology companies that created tens of thousands of jobs. This deep understanding of the tech and telecommunications field would eventually inspire his passion for expanding rural broadband across the Commonwealth as Governor and Senator.
After success in business, Mark directed his energy and resources toward giving back across Virginia, launching philanthropic initiatives like the Virginia Health Care Foundation. The more he heard from Virginians about the issues that mattered to them and the challenges they faced, he recognized that true, lasting change required systemic solutions – and that meant helping to build a government focused on strengthening the economy and addressing the range of issues affecting families and communities.
EFFECTIVE GOVERNOR
Motivated by this desire to make widespread change, Mark ran an ambitious and successful campaign for Governor in 2001 – one that focused on hearing from and working for all Virginians. With a 2-to-1 Republican legislature in Richmond, he governed with a consistently bipartisan approach. By the time he left office in 2006, Virginia was ranked as the best state for business, the best-managed state, and the best state in which to receive a public education.
RESPECTED SENATOR
After serving as Governor, Mark knew the work wasn’t done, and he was ready to take his sharpened skills as a bipartisan dealmaker to the Senate, first winning election in 2008. He has served as a key author and negotiator of several pieces of critical legislation aimed at rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, improving cybersecurity, restoring domestic manufacturing, protecting national security, and investing in underserved and underbanked communities. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence and as a member of the Senate Finance, Banking, Budget, and Rules Committees.
U.S. Senators write and vote on federal laws. Each state has two senators, who serve six-year terms. Only the Senate confirms the President's nominees for judges and the cabinet, approves treaties, and holds impeachment trials.