Republican Hung Cao projected to face Tim Kaine in Virginia Senate race – The Washington Post

Retired Navy Capt. Hung Cao was projected to win the Republican nomination in Virginias five-way Senate primary Tuesday to take on Sen. Tim Kaine (D) in the fall, according to the Associated Press.

Cao was the most well funded candidate and had the most name recognition in the field, after an unsuccessful attempt to unseat Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) in the 10th Congressional District in 2022.

Trailing him in fundraising were Scott Parkinson, a former adviser to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the vice president of government affairs at the Club for Growth, a conservative economic policy advocacy group; and Clifton attorney and author Jonathan Emord, who has challenged the Food and Drug Administration.

The other two candidates were Virginia Beach attorney Chuck Smith, who also ran for Virginia attorney general in 2017 and 2021; and small-business owner and Army veteran Eddie Garcia.

Cao, 52, of Purcellville, raised more than $2.5 million for his Senate campaign, far more than any of his GOP rivals but a fraction of the funding amassed by Kaine, the former governor and onetime vice-presidential nominee who is seeking a third term.

Cao, a refugee from Vietnam, arrived in the United States at age 4 and attended the U.S. Naval Academy. He served 25 years in Navy Special Operations and was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia before turning his attention to politics, he said in a campaign video.

Tomorrow, we begin our campaign to save the country that saved my life, Cao said in a statement after the race was called. I spent twenty-five years in the Navy, while Tim Kaine spent thirty years in elected office. The taxpayers signed the front of our paychecks for the same amount of time. The difference is this: Tim Kaine got rich, and I got scars.

He noted that the timing of the win coincides with a Biden administration policy that would give about half a million immigrants who are married to American citizens a pathway to citizenship for them and their children, which Cao called amnesty.

President Trump and I will win in November, we will secure the border, we will protect Social Security, and we will save America, he said. I spent twenty-five years fighting for this country, and Im not done.

In his own statement, Kaine touted his four decades as a civil rights lawyer and elected official.

As your Senator, Ill keep standing up for an economy that works for all, affordable healthcare, reproductive freedom, enhanced career and technical education and strengthening our military and allies while supporting our troops, veterans, and their families, he said.

You know Ill stand up for you because I always show up for you.

Cao drew comparisons between President Biden and Communist leaders in Vietnam in his announcement video in July 2023. His campaign focused on border security, parental rights and bringing more resources to the U.S. military.

Donald Trump endorsed his campaign, saying Cao will be a tireless leader to stop inflation, lower taxes and defend the Second Amendment. Of the five candidates, only Cao and Garcia said Biden legitimately won the presidency, bucking Trumps false claims that Democrats stole the election.

Steve Bohlander, 57, of Ashburn said he voted for Cao because he recognized the candidates name and policy positions from his previous campaigns and felt he would slow down the illegal immigration and manage the economy better.

Parkinson, the youngest in the field, touted his experience in economic policy and has called the national debt the greatest threat to our national security.

Susan Premo, 55, of Ashburn split from her daughters Katie, 18, and Jenna, 22, who support Democrats, to vote for Garcia because he was not taking huge amounts from large corporations and opposes abortion.

All of the candidates described themselves as pro-life, but they also said they would have no role as a senator in shaping abortion policy. They noted that in overturning Roe v. Wade two years ago, the Supreme Court gave individual states the right to sharply restrict or outlaw the procedure.

Jeanne Hunt, 71, a retiree from Castleton, said she voted for Cao and a congressional candidate in part because of their military service: They love America. They believe in the Constitution, they want to see things go the right way.

Kaine, who has held the seat since 2013, has raised more than $14 million since 2019, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project.

But two polls that show Biden and Trump tied in Virginia a state that Biden won in 2020 by 10 points have given Republican candidates reason to hope Trumps coattails will extend to the Senate race.

Laura Vozzella contributed to this report.

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Republican Hung Cao projected to face Tim Kaine in Virginia Senate race - The Washington Post