Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine and Republican challenger Hung Cao are competing to represent Virginia in the U.S. Senate.
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Hung Cao
Age: 53
Employment: Vice President, CACI International
Highest level of education: Master’s degree from Naval Postgraduate School
Party affiliation: Republican
Military service: 25 years in Naval Special Operations (explosive ordnance disposal and deep sea diving)
Website: www.hungforva.com
What do you believe is the greatest problem facing our nation today and what would you propose to address that if elected?
Our open border. Everything that’s going wrong stems from our open border. Housing costs are at an all-time high because there’s millions who were not here a few years ago for which we need to provide housing. The Biden administration spends a billion dollars a day which includes free cell phones and gift cards upon arrival, driving up costs. Our open border is a national security threat as tens of thousands of military-aged males from China, Yemen and Syria enter daily. When I’m elected, my first priority is to secure our border by supporting efforts to finish the wall and root out terrorists who entered the U.S. illegally. We also need to make America energy independent again to lower energy costs, but equally important is ending our reliance on Middle Eastern countries that hate us.
The United States is currently providing significant military aid to Israel and Ukraine. Do you believe the U.S. should continue to provide funding to both or either of these nations? Explain why or why not.
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. We have always been friends of Israel through the Iron Dome and in return, they have provided us with critical intelligence from the region. However, I’ve always been against giving blanket amounts of money. A lot of the money Congress has allocated to Ukraine is going to their retired workers pension plans, but here in the United States, we can barely fund Social Security. We have to pay for Americans’ Social Security benefits before we give out more blank checks.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has said the court should reconsider several of its past rulings, including one that protected the right to contraception. Would you support legislation in Congress to codify the right to birth control into law?
If elected, I will protect access to contraception and oppose any bill in the U.S. Senate that would limit access to contraception from the federal level.
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Tim Kaine
Age: 66
Employment: U.S. Senator
Highest level of education: J.D., Harvard Law School
Party affiliation: Democrat
Previous elected offices: 2nd District Member of the Richmond City Council, Mayor of Richmond, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Governor of Virginia, incumbent U.S. Senator from Virginia
Website: timkaine.com
What do you believe is the greatest problem facing our nation today and what would you propose to address that if elected?
The economy, reproductive freedom, and affordable healthcare are issues that I hear about all across Virginia. I’ve proudly helped pass legislation to create good-paying manufacturing jobs and boost investments in shipbuilding. Right now, women are facing threats to reproductive freedom around the country which is why I’m fighting so that women can make their own health care decisions without interference from out-of-touch politicians. I’ve worked to protect the Affordable Care Act and took on Big Pharma to lower the cost of insulin so now no drug company can charge more than $35. I know there’s more work to do which is why I’m focused on lowering costs for working families, protecting reproductive freedom, and making healthcare more affordable.
The United States is currently providing significant military aid to Israel and Ukraine. Do you believe the U.S. should continue to provide funding to both or either of these nations? Explain why or why not.
It is critical that we honor our commitments to our democratic allies around the world. The acts of terror on October 7th were horrific, and I’ve worked across party lines to ensure that Israel has the support it needs. At the same time, much more must be done to protect civilian life in Gaza. We must secure both a hostage release deal and a ceasefire to end the immense suffering in the region. Ukraine is a free nation defending itself, and the U.S. must continue to support them in holding Putin accountable. Hampton Roads is home to the headquarters of NATO in North America, and I’m proud to have passed legislation to prevent any President from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO. It’s critical that Congress continues to support not only Ukraine and our allies around the world.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has said the court should reconsider several of its past rulings, including one that protected the right to contraception. Would you support legislation in Congress to codify the right to birth control into law?
Absolutely. I co-sponsored the Right to Contraception Act and worked to introduce the bipartisan Reproductive Freedom For All Act to codify Roe v. Wade in order to protect Americans’ access to abortion and contraception. In the two years since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Republicans have threatened access not only to abortion but also birth control and fertility treatments, a position that is completely out-of-touch with most Virginians and most Americans. My opponent has pledged his support for a national law that could ban abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest, and maternal health. I’ll keep fighting to protect access to abortion, birth control, and IVF so that Virginia women are free to make decisions about their own health care and grow their families.
Answers were compiled by The Virginian-Pilot staff.
