This story was reported by WAMU.
Virginians have just one statewide race on their ballots this year: a contest between incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, and retired Navy captain Hung Cao, a Republican who now works as a civilian in the defense industry. Some recent nonpartisan polls suggest Kaine has a lead of between five and more than 10 points. His seat is rated “solid Democrat” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report and “safe Democrat” by the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
But the campaign trail has been far from sleepy. Kaine, who served as the mayor of Richmond and governor of Virginia before being elected to the Senate in 2013 (he was also Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016), has focused his campaign — and his first TV ad — on the economy and jobs. He touts the impact of major infrastructure and manufacturing legislation in Virginia, as well as abortion rights and healthcare affordability. “I’m running my race as if I’m behind,” he told WAMU’s The Politics Hour. Kaine has also criticized Cao, his opponent, for avoiding campaigning in rural parts of the state.
Meanwhile, Cao’s message centers on his background in the military and his parents’ experiences as refugees from communist forces in Vietnam. He cites border security as a top issue, calling migrants coming across the southern U.S. border “an invasion.” He’s criticized schools for diversity, equity and inclusion practices, which he says limit equal opportunity, and called for school choice and parents’ rights in educational decisionmaking. He has pushed for energy independence and tariffs against goods manufactured in China. In a brief appearance at the Republican National Convention, Cao touted his military service and urged immigrants to the U.S. to obey the law and embrace American culture.
Below, we’ve asked both candidates to weigh in with their thoughts on housing affordability, high prices, federal abortion regulations, aid for Ukraine and Israel, and former President Trump’s proposal to move federal jobs from the D.C. region to elsewhere in the country.
Skip to: Hung Cao || Tim Kaine
Hung Cao
Cao is a Republican. His candidate website is here.
In a word or phrase, tell us: What do you think your race is about?
After twenty-five years serving our country in the Navy, I’ve been all over the world. I’ve seen dictatorships and failed states first-hand, and as a refugee from Vietnam I know what it’s like to lose your country. We’re losing ours today and there’s nowhere else to go. I’ve spent my life trying to repay my debt to America, and I’m not done fighting for us. Tim Kaine is a weak man in a dangerous world and he has been alongside Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in every decision they’ve made over the last several years to make our country less safe, less prosperous, and less free. Tim Kaine has had thirty years on our payroll, and it’s time for change.
If you are elected to the Senate, how would you use your position to help alleviate the housing crisis, in Northern Virginia and nationally?
Any time we’re talking about housing development, we also need to be thinking about preserving our existing way of life, and that goes especially for rural communities. The first thing we need to do to address housing affordability is to secure the border. Everything that’s going wrong in our country right now is a direct result of our wide-open southern border. Housing costs are at an all-time high because there’s millions of people who were not here a few years ago, who shouldn’t be here at all, but need somewhere to live. The Biden-Harris administration spends a billion dollars a day on illegal immigrants, including free cell phones and gift cards upon arrival, and our subsidizing of these illegals only drives up housing costs as our tax dollars are used to compete against American citizens for paying rent. We need to put the American people first. Our housing costs will drop dramatically when we no longer have more than 12 million illegal immigrants competing for that housing, and paying for it at least in part with hand-outs from the government.
Residents in Virginia and across the country are struggling to make ends meet. If you are elected, what steps would you push for in the Senate to address affordability challenges?
We have to make the cost of living, goods, gas, and groceries more affordable. Under Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Tim Kaine’s radical agenda, Americans and Virginians are hurting from the increased cost of goods and prices, making the American Dream no longer what it was when my family and I immigrated to this country. But we have to start with securing the border. That’s step one. We have increased demand in this country by millions of people who have come here in the last few years alone, and we are giving them free cell phones, free healthcare, free education – and the American taxpayer is footing the bill. We have to secure our border and become energy independent to address affordability.
Where do you stand on abortion, and do you believe there’s a role for federal legislation in regulating abortion?
As United States Senator, I will vote against any national abortion ban. I believe this issue was correctly sent back to the states. I support access to IVF, as some of my own children were the result of fertility treatments. As a Christian, I believe life begins at conception. As our next U.S. Senator I will respect that the Constitution calls for this issue to be decided by the American people in their respective states.
In the last few years, Congress has been asked to appropriate large sums of money and other forms of support for foreign conflicts in Ukraine and in Israel/Gaza.
- If elected, would you vote for future financial and military assistance for Ukraine? Would you impose any conditions on that aid?
- If elected, would you vote for future financial and military assistance for Israel? Would you impose any conditions on that aid?
The United States has provided Israel with a lot of support for many years and it is more important than ever to continue to support Israel in every way that we can. They are resisting a violent, terrorist invasion of their country that took place on Oct. 7, 2023, and they have every right to defend themselves. We have always been friends of Israel and in return, they have provided us with critical intelligence from the region. In contrast, a lot of the money Congress has allocated to Ukraine is going to their retired workers pension plans. Meanwhile here in the United States, seniors like my mom are worried about their own Social Security. Paying for Ukrainian pensions is not a case of helping a country defend itself against aggression.
Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, have called for moving “up to 100,000” federal workforce jobs outside of the D.C. region. What is your position on that proposal?
I support President Trump and Senator Vance’s proposal to move federal workforce jobs outside of Washington D.C. and closer to those who are directly impacted by their decisions. Virginia may very well be a net beneficiary of jobs as a result. This proposal would also help save taxpayers money because we’ll no longer have to compensate for the exorbitant taxes and overall cost of living in Washington D.C. or Maryland. Many federal workforce jobs have been on the leading edge of telework even before COVID-19. I am confident in our ability to coordinate effectively across other communities including if some agencies are moved to the Virginia suburbs.
Tim Kaine
Kaine’s candidate website is here.
In a word or phrase, tell us: What do you think your race is about?
Standing up for Virginia.
If you are elected to the Senate, how would you use your position to help alleviate the housing crisis, in Northern Virginia and nationally?
Homeownership is a key part of the American dream. I have spent my entire career, including 17 years as a fair housing attorney, fighting for fair housing and working to lower housing prices and rental costs in Virginia. In 2021, I cast a deciding vote in the U.S. Senate to pass the American Rescue Plan, which helped thousands of renters in Virginia stay in their homes during the pandemic. I have introduced the Housing Supply and Affordability Act to address the nationwide housing shortage by creating a competitive grant program to increase housing supply and affordability, and the Fair Housing Improvement Act to protect low-income families and veterans from housing discrimination based on their source of income. Moreover, my LIFT Homebuyers Act would help first-time, first-generation homebuyers build wealth much more quickly by offering new homeowners a 20-year mortgage for roughly the same monthly payment as a traditional 30-year loan, and my bipartisan Housing Supply and Affordability Act would help address the nationwide housing shortage by creating a competitive grant program to increase housing supply and affordability.
Residents in Virginia and across the country are struggling to make ends meet. If you are elected, what steps would you push for in the Senate to address affordability challenges?
When the global economy was hit hard after COVID disrupted well-established supply chains, the U.S. recovered better than any advanced economy, but there’s more to do. I proudly cast a deciding vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which slashed prescription drug costs by capping insulin prices at $35 per month, enabling Medicare to negotiate with Big Pharma to lower prices and capping out-of-pocket costs. Passing strong domestic manufacturing and infrastructure bills is also creating good jobs and shoring up supply chains, thus reducing prices.
I will keep working to lower costs for families. We’ve increased federal support to bring down child care costs and I have a far-reaching bipartisan bill to supercharge existing tax credits for parents and employers that can be used to expand child care. Lastly, we must bring back the expanded Child Tax Credit and make it permanent. When we did this, it benefitted 1.7 million Virginia children and cut child poverty to the lowest rate ever.
Where do you stand on abortion, and do you believe there’s a role for federal legislation in regulating abortion?
Right now, women are facing threats to reproductive freedom around the country with new draconian abortion restrictions and extremist legislatures plotting to rip away even more reproductive rights following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Women like Amber Nicole Thurman — a young woman who died because Georgia’s abortion ban delayed the care she needed to live — should be alive today. Virginia is the last state in the South without an extreme abortion ban, and I will never stop fighting against efforts to implement a national abortion ban so women can make their own health care decisions without interference from out-of-touch politicians. After the Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs decision, I introduced the bipartisan Reproductive Freedom for All Act, which would enact the core holdings of Supreme Court cases, including Roe v. Wade, which established and affirmed the rights to abortion and contraception. My bill is the only bipartisan proposal currently before Congress that would codify Roe v. Wade as a national protection of reproductive freedom.
In the last few years, Congress has been asked to appropriate large sums of money and other forms of support for foreign conflicts in Ukraine and in Israel/Gaza.
If elected, would you vote for future financial and military assistance for Ukraine? Would you impose any conditions on that aid?
In 2022, Vladimir Putin permanently banned me from visiting Russia in response to my record of standing against Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. I took this as a badge of honor. Ukraine is a free nation defending itself, and the U.S. must continue to stand firm with our allies and hold Putin accountable. I am proud that Hampton Roads is home to the headquarters of NATO in North America and sponsored legislation signed into law last year to prevent any President from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO. Whether in Ukraine or elsewhere, the U.S. and our allies must let the world know that we will not tolerate dictators trying to seize free nations by force. I have proudly voted for aid to Ukraine, and I helped pass a supplemental package with support for Ukraine to defend itself — as well as $18 million funding to support the work of inspectors general at DOD and USAID to conduct oversight of the aid and ensure that it is used appropriately. It’s critical that Congress continues to affirm its strong, bipartisan support not only for Ukraine but also for the notion that democracies stand firm against tyrants.
If elected, would you vote for future financial and military assistance for Israel? Would you impose any conditions on that aid?
The acts of terror on Oct. 7 were horrific. For the last eleven months, I’ve worked with Democrats, Republicans, and the administration to ensure that Israel has the support it needs. At the same time, much more must be done to protect civilian life in Gaza. That’s why I’ve pushed to reduce civilian casualties, supported the safe and swift delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, and advocated for long-term solutions to allow Palestinians and Israelis to live alongside each other in peace. Furthermore, I have pushed the administration to prioritize Israel’s defensive needs over offensive weapons that could cause enormous suffering in Gaza. We must secure both a hostage release deal and a ceasefire to put an end to the immense suffering in the region. And we must make good on the promise made by the U.S. and other nations, through a 1947 UN resolution, that there should be a state of Israel and a state of Palestine living side by side. The lack of progress towards Palestinian autonomy has led to the ongoing crisis and there will be no long term peace without addressing that unmet promise.
Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, have called for moving “up to 100,000” federal workforce jobs outside of the D.C. region. What is your position on that proposal?
Virginia is home to over 140,000 federal civilian employees. Trump’s proposal to jeopardize the jobs and livelihoods of these hardworking civil servants and undermine Virginia’s economy is reckless, and I will stand firmly against it. Moreover, Trump is campaigning on reinstating his Schedule F executive order, which would gut the federal civil service and allow civil servants to be replaced with political loyalists. This means hard working Virginians who make sure our food is safe to eat, control traffic on airport runways, and so much more, could be put out of work. My opponent Hung Cao has endorsed this proposal. I have introduced legislation to protect a merit-based federal workforce system and stop a Schedule F system from ever taking hold.
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