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Democratic Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia was stuck in a brutal traffic jam for more than 27 hours as a heavy snowstorm slammed the Washington, D.C. area.
But Senator Kaine went straight back to work in the Senate to craft voting rights legislation once he finished his 27+ hour commute.
The news of his safe arrival at work came from Katie Stuntz, who serves as Kaine's communications director.
After 27+ hours on the road from Richmond to DC, @timkaine is safely back in the Capitol. Still in good spirits!pic.twitter.com/VV9SKdDeNM— Katie Stuntz (@Katie Stuntz) 1641329715
Kaine had been keeping people informed of his whereabouts and progress via Twitter.
I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I\u2019m still not near the Capitol. My office is in touch with @VaDOT to see how we can help other Virginians in this situation. Please stay safe everyone.pic.twitter.com/Sz1b1hZJZ5— Tim Kaine (@Tim Kaine) 1641302863
He also shared news of the kindness of strangers...
A CT family returning in a packed car from Florida walked by in the middle of the night handing out oranges as we were stopped for hours on I-95. Bless them!pic.twitter.com/MrmZ1ZF6JJ— Tim Kaine (@Tim Kaine) 1641308386
...and the emergency contact number for anyone less fortunate than him.
I\u2019m frustrated, but not in serious trouble. If you are in trouble on Virginia roads today, call @VaDOT at 1-800-FOR-ROAD.— Tim Kaine (@Tim Kaine) 1641310244
He marked the moment he'd been on the road for 27 hours.
Update: I've been on the road for 27 hours.https://twitter.com/timkaine/status/1478357477158756352\u00a0\u2026— Tim Kaine (@Tim Kaine) 1641327969
Then added a final carside update upon arriving at work on Capitol Hill.
Ok after 27 hours on the road from Richmond to DC, very happy to be back in the Capitol and working on voting rights legislation this afternoon.pic.twitter.com/6XE45ZQUvq— Tim Kaine (@Tim Kaine) 1641331252
Once he'd arrived in Washington, Kaine spoke about his experience during a phone call with Washington radio station WTOP, saying he'd "never seen anything like it":
“This has been a miserable experience, but at some point I kind of made the switch from a miserable travel experience into kind of a survival project. I’ve never seen anything like it, I guess that’s all I can say."
Kaine spent his first out of the car meal with his son and daughter-in-law at the Red Hen restaurant as a birthday celebration.
Took my son (and his wife) out for his birthday at Red Hen! Rigatoni with sausage.https://twitter.com/AnnaSpiegs/status/1478515716588376064\u00a0\u2026— Tim Kaine (@Tim Kaine) 1641351685
Finally, Senator Kaine shared his gratitude for everyone's support and another thank you to the family from Connecticut who shared their oranges with other stranded motorists.
Thanks to all who gave me encouragement during my 27 hour ordeal. Cleaned out my car including all my food and drink debris. Wish I could find the CT family to thank them for the orange.pic.twitter.com/Lf1rUQ312L— Tim Kaine (@Tim Kaine) 1641407733
Despite the harshness of the experience, many praised Kaine for the way he responded to it.
Sen.Tim Kaine was stuck in that massive highway shutdown for 27 hours, but STILL went straight to the Senate to vote on #VotingRightsAct.— Victoria Brownworth (@Victoria Brownworth) 1641336341
After all those hours and a smile!! #VoteBlueToSaveDemocracyhttps://twitter.com/kastuntz/status/1478470100600696842\u00a0\u2026— nota paloscio (@nota paloscio) 1641397724
Proud to have him as my Senator \n#VotingRightshttps://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1478496992921886722\u00a0\u2026— verbal #BlueWave2020 (@verbal #BlueWave2020) 1641379020
God bless Senator Kainehttps://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1478496992921886722\u00a0\u2026— Sarahagnes Knutsson (@Sarahagnes Knutsson) 1641392597
I\u2019m glad you made it to DC. I cannot imagine how horrible your trip was.https://twitter.com/kastuntz/status/1478470100600696842\u00a0\u2026— Vickie Lantz (@Vickie Lantz) 1641341699
Ted Cruz flies to Canc\u00fan, Tim Kaine spends 27 hours in the car to make it to the Capitol to support voting rights.\n\nThat\u2019s the difference between the Republicans and Democrats.— Carter Elliott, IV (@Carter Elliott, IV) 1641335916
Kaine later joked the Senate's progress on protecting every citizens' right to vote was as slow as his nightmarish commute.
Sen. Tim Kaine: Senate\u2019s progress on voting rights \u201cas slow as my commute\u201d @timkaine @MSNBChttps://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/sen-tim-kaine-senate-s-progress-on-voting-rights-as-slow-as-my-commute-130199109854\u00a0\u2026— Andrea Mitchell (@Andrea Mitchell) 1641412292
Voting rights have taken center stage again after West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, one of the party's right leaning moderates, refused to back the "Build Back Better" agenda, an effort by House and Senate Democrats to codify much of their economic and social policy via a major spending bill.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has made clear that the Senate would “consider changes to any rules which prevent us from debating and reaching final conclusion on important legislation,” including voting rights legislation, reigniting debates on whether or not to abolish the filibuster.
President Joe Biden previously announced his support for amending Senate rules and changing the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation.