Tim Kaine Faces Off Challenger Hung Cao in Virginia Senate Debate

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The audience remained quiet for the first half hour until the issue of military recruiting was discussed.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), the defending incumbent in the race for the U.S. Senate seat from Virginia, and Republican nominee Hung Cao held their first and only debate on Oct. 2 at Norfolk State University, a historically black college in Norfolk, Virginia.

The one-hour debate was policy-heavy. Moderators asked the candidates about their stances on many issues, including inflation, housing, immigration, and abortion.

Kaine runs his campaign on the economy, abortion, and healthcare affordability. Cao’s top issues are securing the southern border and achieving American energy independence. Both responded to moderators’ questions with answers aligned to their party platforms.

When asked to name one policy to help Virginians reduce the cost of living, Cao said energy independence would reduce the energy price and bring down inflation. To the same question, Kaine cited COVID-19 as the reason for inflation and said affordable clean energy, reducing the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, and giving students loan relief would help solve the problem.

Vice President Kamala Harris’s economic plan includes a federal ban on price gouging on food. A moderator asked Kaine whether price gouging exists in Virginia. Kaine responded that the current Virginia Republican leadership acknowledged price gouging during the aftermath of Hurricane Helena. This was the only question the moderator didn’t allow Cao to react to. She cut him off and moved on.

The audience, asked to show no reaction to candidates, remained quiet for the first half hour until the issue of military recruiting was discussed. The City of Norfolk is home to the world’s largest naval base, and many military families live in the larger Hampton Roads area.

The audience applauded for the first time after Cao answered a question about how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies hurt military recruiting.

“When you’re using a drag queen to recruit for the Navy, that’s not the people we want,” the retired naval captain said. “What we need is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them, and ask for seconds. Those are young men and women that are going to win wars.”

The audience applauded again when Kaine said DEI was a distraction and that communicating the benefits of military service better was the real issue.

“My son received superb leadership training that is going to benefit him for the rest of his life,” Kaine said, speaking of his son, a veteran of the U.S. Marines. “But if you don’t know someone in the military, you might not understand that, and that’s what we need to do to communicate better. When we do, we’ll have more people sign it up to serve their country.”

Although the City of Norfolk is a blue stronghold where President Joe Biden won by over 40 points in 2020, the nearby area of Virginia’s 2^nd Congressional District is competitive.

During the debate, Kaine tried to show Cao as an extremist, citing Cao’s stance on banning abortion, while Cao positioned himself as a warrior who loves the country and freedom. He often mentioned his family, who fled Vietnam to the United States in 1975, before communists took over Saigon, and his family waited seven years to obtain U.S. citizenship.

“I want to be very clear tonight: I will not sign any bill at the federal level to ban abortion,” Cao said, adding that the decision should be with states. “I don’t want a senator from California or a Congressman from Idaho making decisions for Virginians.” That statement won him another applause from the audience.

Moderators asked pointed questions tailored to candidates. For example, would Cao support a mass deportation of illegal migrants, and would Kaine support granting them amnesty? Both candidates skirted the questions but gave a straight answer when moderators followed up. Cao said he would support a mass deportation, and Kaine responded, “I’ve never supported amnesty.”

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, left, debates Republican challenger Hung Cao at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 2, 2024. (Nextstar/WAVY-TV via AP, Pool) — U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, left, debates Republican challenger Hung Cao at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 2, 2024. Nextstar/WAVY-TV via AP, Pool

At a particularly heated moment, Cao accused Kaine of having a 99 percent failure rate because only three out of 227 bills Kaine introduced in the Senate “made it through.” When Kaine denied that, Cao asserted, “Never go against an Asian when it comes to math.” Congressional records indicate that Kaine introduced 177 bills during his two terms in the Senate.

Polls determined the sequence of closing remarks. Current survey results show Kaine in the lead by six to 12 points. University of Virginia’s Center for Politics rated the seat “safe Democrat.” Kaine has also outspent Cao by $7 million, according to a nonprofit watchdog Virginia Public Access Project.

Cao delivered his closing remarks first. “When Vietnam fell, we had nowhere to run to, but this great country called the United States took us in, gave us an opportunity, and gave us life.” He expressed his love for the country and his worries for America’s future. “This country has taken a dark turn, and the Democrats are turning this country into what I ran away from.”

In his closing remarks, Kaine boasted his records of making Virginia the “best state for business” and called Cao an extremist. “The choice is pretty clear for Virginians. You want results, or you want extremism.”

Kaine, a former governor of the Commonwealth, has never lost a statewide election in his career, including serving as Virginia’s lieutenant governor, governor, and senator. Despite losing the 2016 presidential election as Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Kaine won Virginia with over 200,000 votes.

Cao is running for office for the second time. Two years ago, he lost to incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) in a race to represent the 10^th congressional district in northern Virginia.

Kaine previously agreed to do four debates with Cao, who said last month that he didn’t need more than one.

Cao has received the endorsement of former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. During his speech at the Republican National Convention in July, he told the delegates, “Virginia will elect me and President Trump. And together, we will save America.”

Before the first presidential debate in June, polls in Virginia were tied between Trump and Biden, a state that he carried by 10 points in 2020. However, Harris has restored the Democrats’ lead to upper single digits or even double digits.

In-person early voting began in Virginia on Sept. 20. Absent any October surprises, a Cao victory on Trump’s coattail looks challenging.