Former Navy Captain Hung Cao secured the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Virginia, marking a significant victory as he prepares to face off against Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA. The race was called within twenty minutes of its close at 7:00 p.m. EST, with Cao garnering around 25% of the expected vote and leading with approximately 75% of reported votes.
Upon his victory announcement, Cao thanked his supporters and tied his campaign directly to a repudiation of President Joe Biden’s border policies. He highlighted the importance of November’s election, especially for women like Laken Riley and Rachel Morin, whose lives were at risk due to the Biden-Kaine open border policy.
Cao contrasted his military background with Kaine’s long history as a career politician, emphasizing that while he served in the Navy for 25 years, Kaine spent 30 years in elected office. Cao noted that although both of them had their paychecks signed by taxpayers for the same amount of time, his service led to scars while Kaine became wealthy.
In May, former President Donald Trump endorsed Cao on Truth Social, stating that he would be a tireless fighter to stop inflation, grow the economy, secure the border, support the military and veterans, and defend the Second Amendment. This endorsement is believed to have played a significant role in sealing the election for Cao.
Kaine, who served as the former chairman of the Democrat National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s running mate in their 2016 bid for the presidency, is expected to mount a well-financed campaign against Cao. He has already secured $2 million in television advertising for the fall season, where he will likely spread misinformation about both himself and his opponent.
Given that Trump’s 2016 rival Kaine is now facing off against him in Virginia, there may be a special emphasis placed on this race by the former president. A recent Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research survey found that Biden and Trump are virtually tied in Virginia, with each candidate garnering 43% and 42% support, respectively, well within the survey’s ± 4.4% margin of error.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.