The former Vice Presidential running mate and head of the Democratic National Committee were caught in a monster traffic jam that left thousands of drivers behind an icy backup after a Monday six-vehicle accident.
"The only thing I ate was one orange, and the only liquid I had was one 16-ounce Dr. Pepper," he told CBS back to the Capitol building.
His ordeal lasted 27 hours, yet the senator attempted not to dwell on his situation.
"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," he announced on Twitter on Tuesday late afternoon after his saga.
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Only hours earlier, things were looking grim. He had to closely monitor his gas consumption, cut the engine to conserve heat – and ration his liquid intake.
Kaine's return was a diminutive happy ending to a day that featured online blasts at a "tone deaf" statement by Vice President Kamala Harris, who announced that "America is moving again" while thousands were abandoned in the traffic nightmare.
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She had been advancing the new bipartisan infrastructure law, though Harris and her aides failed to anticipate the timing of her post regarding "getting people moving" when motorists were desperate to pull over for a fill-up and a rest stop.
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Kaine told CNN when he was finally moving: "I do not have any liquid in the car. I drank two cups of black coffee yesterday morning for breakfast, and then I drank a Dr. Pepper when I stopped for gas at 4:00 this morning. That's all the liquids I've had since yesterday morning."
"I do have some popcorn in the car, but to eat popcorn without any liquid, I don't think that's a good idea," he observed. "So now that I'm 90 minutes from the office, I'm planning on eating a lot, and using the restroom as soon as I pull in."
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Roughly six hours before that, he tweeted a photo of an orange on his dashboard.
"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!" he wrote.
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He blasted out word of his case, remarkably refraining from complaints at state or local officials.
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"I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I'm 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," he announced, referencing the Virginia Department of Transportation.
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