NORFOLK, Va. — Democrat Tim Kaine is seeking re-election for a third term in the U.S. Senate, but faces a challenge from Republican Hung Cao.
Kaine initially had to think about whether he wanted to run again, but announced in Jan. 2023 he'd be seeking re-election. He's been campaigning across the commonwealth over the last several months.
"I haven't had a moment of second thought. I've got a lot of energy and a great team. I love campaigning," he told News 3 during a recent stop in Virginia Beach.
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Cao is running in his first state-wide race. He ran for Congress in Northern Virginia in 2022, but lost.
"I came to this country as a refugee from Vietnam. This country gave me everything. It gave me education. It gave me purpose and it gave me opportunity," Cao told News 3 in Norfolk.
Cao served in the Navy for 25 years and said he's very familiar with the Hampton Roads area.
"The biggest issue hitting our country right now is the border, okay. Everything revolves around the border right now. It's about the millions of illegal aliens that have poured across this country, including tens of thousands of military-aged males," Cao said.
Kaine says he's been focused on helping the country recover from the pandemic.
"I think I've worked very hard with this administration to get America growing again. We're manufacturing again. We're building again. We're investing in ships and subs. Unemployment is down," said Kaine.
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This summer, The Virginian Pilot reported Cao called NATO employees "freaking lazy" at an event in Richmond, which Kaine continues to bring up.
"I'm a strong supporter of NATO, [with] Norfolk being a NATO headquarters. My opponent has said NATO doesn't do blank and NATO employees are lazy," said Kaine.
News 3 asked Cao about those comments.
"You know what NATO stands for? Needs Americans to operate. If you want to see a comedy show, put a German and an Italian officer together and they'll fight like cats and dogs," Cao said. "Everybody knows that a lot of countries are not paying what they're supposed to do."
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Recent polling has given Kaine the advantage. The Crystal Ball election forecasting at the University of Virginia says it's a safe seat for Democrats.
"I feel good about the race. I feel good about the presidential race, congressional races—but some of them are going to be real close. You take nothing for granted," said Kaine.
Cao, though, believes he has a chance and says it's time for change.
"The only person better off today than they were four years ago is an illegal alien, so we need to take care of Americans first," he said.
