Hun Kao won the Virginia Republican Senate primary on Tuesday, earning the party’s endorsement to face incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in November.
Besides Kao, the two most likely candidates in the Republican Senate primary were former DeSantis staffer and Club for Growth official Scott Parkinson and constitutional lawyer Jonathan Emold.
Former President Trump endorsed Kao last month, writing on Truth Social that “A combat-seasoned and highly decorated special operations officer, Hun Kao will work tirelessly to stop inflation, grow our economy, secure our borders, provide strong support for our incredible military and veterans, and defend the Second Amendment, which is constantly under attack.”
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Kaine said he doesn’t take reelection for granted. (Greg Nash Poole/Getty Images)
“I fully support Mr. Hong Cao,” he continued.
While her opponents received the coveted endorsement of President Trump, Parkinson received significant support from sitting Republican senators, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.).
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Cao is a retired Navy captain. (Image courtesy of Hung Cao)
Trump’s support varies from state to state, and support does not necessarily guarantee a candidate will win a primary. In Virginia’s Republican presidential primary in March, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley won 35% of the vote compared to 63% for Trump. Haley suspended her campaign immediately after the primary.
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Virginia’s congressional primary election took place on Tuesday. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Nonpartisan Political Handicap Cook Political Report They rate the Virginia Senate race as “Democrat-favorable.” But even though the seat is now considered a sure win for Kaine, the Democratic senator has made it clear that he is leaving nothing to chance.
“I know I can’t take anything for granted,” Kaine told Fox News Digital about the upcoming general election in Virginia. “I don’t think anybody should be taken for granted.”
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Cain has held the position since 2013. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Kaine has served as a senator since 2013 and was re-elected in 2018.
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A recent Fox News poll shocked some by showing that Biden and Trump were tied in Virginia, 48% to 48%, after Biden won 54% of the vote in the 2020 election to Trump’s 44%.
The new data comes as Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Trump campaign argue the state is a “swing” in November’s Republican election.
“With Joe Biden extremely weak and the Democratic Party in disarray, President Trump is not only winning traditional battleground states, but also long-time Democratic states like Minnesota, Virginia and New Jersey. President Trump is going on the offensive with a message of victory and growing his movement every day. The Joe Biden campaign should be terrified,” campaign spokesperson Caroline Leavitt said in a recent statement to Fox News Digital.
