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By The Spotsylvania Gazette
Spotsylvania County voters will join voters across Virginia in choosing a U.S. senator on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Two candidates appear on the county’s ballot: Democratic incumbent Mark R. Warner and Republican challenger Bert Mizusawa. Voters may select one candidate or write in a name. (spotsylvania.va.us)
The Spotsylvania Gazette does not endorse political candidates. These biographies are provided for voter information. Candidates appear below in ballot order.
Mark R. Warner — Democratic
Mark R. Warner has represented Virginia in the U.S. Senate since January 2009. Before entering the Senate, he served as governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006. His background includes technology entrepreneurship, investment and state government. (ballotpedia.org, warner.senate.gov)
Warner graduated from George Washington University in 1977 and Harvard Law School in 1980. According to the National Governors Association, he was the first person in his family to graduate from college. (nga.org)
Before holding elected office, Warner worked in the telecommunications and technology industries. He was a founding partner of Columbia Capital and helped establish the company that became the cellular carrier Nextel. (nga.org, warner.senate.gov)
His Senate biography lists service as vice chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence and membership on the Finance, Banking, Budget and Rules committees. Warner and his wife, Lisa Collis, live in Alexandria and have three daughters. (warner.senate.gov)
Bert Mizusawa — Republican
Bert Mizusawa is a retired U.S. Army major general whose professional background includes military command, federal government service, legal practice and business. His campaign biography describes work in both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. (bertforsenate.com)
Mizusawa graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1979. He also earned a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. (ballotpedia.org, bertforsenate.com)
According to his campaign biography, his government experience includes service as deputy under secretary of the Army, a senior adviser to the director of the Central Intelligence Agency and work for the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. (bertforsenate.com)
His military assignments included command of a combined joint interagency task force in Afghanistan. His campaign also lists experience founding and leading a federal contracting business and a private law practice focused on legal and regulatory matters. (bertforsenate.com)
About the Office
Each state has two U.S. senators, who represent the entire state and serve six-year terms. Senate elections are staggered, so Virginia voters are choosing one of the state’s two senators in this election. (visitthecapitol.gov, senate.gov, spotsylvania.va.us)
The Senate considers federal legislation and spending, oversees federal agencies, and exercises constitutional authority over presidential nominations and treaties. Senators vote on nominees for positions including federal judges, Cabinet officials and ambassadors. (senate.gov, senate.gov, congress.gov)
These profiles draw from official election records, government biographies, the National Governors Association and publicly available campaign materials. Virginia voters will decide who holds the Senate seat in the November 3 election.
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