Trump-Backed GOP Senate Candidate Hung Cao Wins Virginia Primary, Will Face Tim Kaine in November

By Susie Moore | 10:25 PM on June 18, 2024

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There were congressional primaries in Virginia and Oklahoma on Tuesday, along with runoff elections for several Georgia House seats. Results are still coming in for some of the Virginia House seats, but in the Senate, Republican Hung Cao has won the primary and will face off against incumbent Democrat Senator Tim Kaine in November.

Former President Trump endorsed Cao last month, writing on Truth Social, "A Combat Veteran and Highly Decorated Special Operations Officer, Hung Cao will be a tireless fighter to stop inflation, grow our Economy, secure our Border, strong support our incredible Military/Vets, and defend our always under siege Second Amendment."
"Hung Cao has my Complete and Total Endorsement," he continued.

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Cao, 52, is a retired Navy captain with a compelling back story.

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.

That video conveys a powerful message, one that will hopefully help Cao as he turns his attention to the general election.

I'm Hung Cao. My family was one of the last to escape Saigon before it fell to the Communists. I know what it's like to lose your country. We are losing ours today.

November 5th is Liberation Day. President Trump and I will save America and make it great again.

Watch below👇 pic.twitter.com/j7uJ8P99jO
— Hung Cao (@HungCao_VA) May 31, 2024

Despite his resounding victory in the primary (results show him with a nearly 52-point lead, with 93 percent of the vote counted), Cao has his work cut out for him taking on Kaine, who's held the seat for two terms and was Hillary Clinton's running mate in the 2016 presidential election.

From the statement he released following his victory on Tuesday, Cao appears ready to do battle.

“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 I’m not done.”

Following the win, Cao received congratulations from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and expressed his gratitude and focus going forward.