Vice President Joe Biden administers the Senate Oath to Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. today during a mock swearing in ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, as the 113th Congress officially began. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Democrat Tim Kaine was sworn into the United States Senate today, becoming the junior senator from the state of Virginia.

Kaine was joined on the Senate floor by fellow Democrats Mark Warner, now the state’s senior senator, and Jim Webb, the man Kaine will succeed in the Capitol.

“It was a tremendous honor to be sworn in today as Virginia’s 55^th United States Senator,” Kaine said in a statement released by his office. “I am grateful to have had my family, friends, and two wonderful Virginia Senators, Jim Webb and Mark Warner, by my side. This new Congress must seize the opportunity to put partisanship aside and do what’s right for families in Virginia and across the country. There is too much at stake for Congress to remain paralyzed by political gridlock and I am eager to work with my new Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle to tackle the difficult challenges we face through dialogue, listening, and compromise. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the people of Virginia as a city councilman, mayor, lieutenant governor, and governor. I remain optimistic that our nation’s best days are still ahead of us and as I begin this exciting new chapter, I intend to serve in a way that will make all Virginians proud.”

– Michael Sluss