Republican U.S. Senate candidate Hung Cao, himself a decorated veteran of the U.S. Navy, on Wednesday said the allegations of stolen valor levied at Democratic vice presidential nominee Governor Tim Walz are “disqualifying” and reveal “hypocrisy” on behalf of the media.
Cao first noted the questions he faced over his military experience, apparently referencing a USA Today article that claimed the Republican incorrectly described his time in combat.
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Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) maintained his support for President Joe Biden on Monday, claiming the first presidential debate on CNN generated “excitement and interest” among Democratic voters despite resulting in a “tough stretch” for Democrats.
After reports surfaced that Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) was organizing senators to convince Biden to step aside, Kaine told members of the press that Biden’s debate performance increased Democratic voters’ energy.
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Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) at a campaign stop on Monday defended President Joe Biden after his poor debate performance provoked calls for the 81-year-old president to end his reelection campaign and allow a younger candidate to face former President Donald Trump in November.
Kaine confirmed he continues to support the 81-year-old president after Petersburg Vice Mayor Darrin Hill called for Democrats to “turn down the noise” about Biden’s candidacy, reported USA Today.
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Delegate Tim Anderson (R-Virginia Beach) is calling for his fellow Virginia Republicans to break with Donald Trump after Republicans only flipped one of three competitive Democrat-held congressional districts in Virginia.
“While it appears likely Trump will announce he is running for President – I will not be supporting him,” Anderson said in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning. “While Trump was President, we lost a supermajority in the House of Delegates, a majority in the Senate and in 2019 Democrats controlled all state government for two years — radically changing Virginia. After Trump lost, the GOP gained Delegate seats back and won all three statewide offices. I call this the Trump effect. One thing Trump does very well in Virginia is mobilizing the left to vote against him and anyone who supports him.”
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State Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) defeated Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) 51.99 percent to 47.86 percent in preliminary results. Also, Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) won her race against Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega 51.93 percent to 48.07 percent, and Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10) defeated Hung Cao 52.95 percent to 47.05 percent in preliminary results, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin stopped at four rallies supporting five Virginia Republican candidates for Congress on Monday, making a final pitch alongside Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares for continued GOP wins in Virginia begun with Youngkin’s own victory a year ago.
“They said last year that no Republican could win statewide in Virginia. ‘I mean it’s too blue, suburbs are too strong,'” Youngkin said at a morning rally for Karina Lipsman, running for VA-08, and Jim Myles, running for VA-11.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin is campaigning heavily for Virginia’s congressional candidates, with a focus on VA-02, VA-07, and VA-10, but he’s also stopping in other areas. On Wednesday morning, he attended a get-out-the-vote rally for Representatives Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09) and Ben Cline (R-VA-06), and by Wednesday evening, he was in Wisconsin supporting GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels.
Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC, which has reported $4.75 million in contributions in 2022, announced his “Rally for Virginia Early Voting GOTV Tour” last week. The tour has 21 stops through November 7, including six stops supporting state Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) for VA-02, seven stops for Yesli Vega in VA-07, and four stops for Hung Cao in VA-10. Youngkin’s also spending money to support the candidates; his Empowering Virginia Parents PAC has spent $414,147 in the three districts, according to The Virginia Public Access Project.
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The congressional candidates for Virginia’s seventh and tenth districts met in a virtual forum on Monday evening where they discussed policy problems faced by people with disabilities. At the beginning, moderator Connor Cummings said that the event was a sensory-friendly forum, not a debate, and instructed candidates to speak about themselves, not their opponents. As a result, the forum’s tone was professional and policy-focused, lacking the fireworks of traditional forums and debates driven by attacks and personality.
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Incumbents are leading in fundraising in Virginia’s competitive congressional races, according to new second-quarter reports; Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) has about $4.9 million cash on hand, Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) has about $4.3 million cash on hand, and Representative Jennifer Wexton has about $3.6 million on hand. Luria’s Republican challenger State Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) has $413,279 cash on hand; Wexton’s challenger Hung Cao has $354,183 on hand, and Spanberger challenger Yesli Vega has $246,070, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
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Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) is leading in the latest fundraising reports in the VA-07 GOP primary. In reports earlier this spring, Derrick Anderson led the field, showing him to be a serious contender, but Reeves is now at $680,511, while Anderson is at $599,324, according to data compiled by The Virginia Public Access Project.
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GOP nominee for Virginia’s tenth congressional district Hung Cao said his top priorities if he’s elected to Congress will be the economy and national security.
“We have to stabilize this economy. This is spiraling out of control,” Cao told The Virginia Star. “We have to cut spending. This is not just about my kids and your kids, but our grand kids and our great grand kids. This is going to resonate for years.”
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In the race for the GOP nomination for Virginia’s seventh congressional district, Derrick Anderson received an endorsement from a new PAC, Yesli Vega called for spending on the U.S. border, criticizing a recent Ukraine spending package, and Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) launched his second television ad, highlighting his “anti-woke” stance.
“I don’t mean to trigger any woke liberals out there, but if you step onto my field talking politically correct nonsense, you probably won’t succeed. But Biden and the left celebrate when men win at women’s sports, and when we divide people by race,” Reeves says while video shows him as a football coach.
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A judge dismissed recall efforts against Loudoun County School Board Chair Brenda Sheridan and Atoosa Reaser Monday, after an outside prosecutor couldn’t find evidence to pursue the recall.
“I’m so grateful that today, the independent Commonwealth’s attorney found that their petition lacks any reasonable factual basis,” Reaser said in a press conference recorded by 7NewsDC.
Reaser said the process took a toll on her and her family.
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Republicans in Virginia’s fifth, eighth, and tenth congressional districts met Saturday, nominating Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) for re-election and nominating Karina Lipsman to challenge Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08). In VA-10, Republicans held a firehouse primary, not a convention, and voting locations didn’t close until 4 p.m., so votes are still being counted as of press time. 10th District GOP Chairman Geary Higgins said they would probably post results from each round of ranked-choice voting on Facebook first, but didn’t expect results until Saturday night or Sunday.
“It’s ranked choice voting, and it’s going to all be hand-counted, that’s why it might take a little time,” Higgins told The Virginia Star shortly after voting closed.
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The Cook Political Report has moved Virginia’s seventh congressional district, currently held by Representative Abigail Spanberger (D), from Lean D to Toss Up, expanding the number of Democrat-held seats that are Toss Up or favor Republicans. That list already included VA-02, held by Representative Elaine Luria (D). Republicans also hope to win VA-10, occupied by Representative Jennifer Wexton (D); Cook rates that race among 155 Solid Democrat seats.
Former Prince William County GOP Committee vice chairman Willie Deutsch said both VA-10 and VA-07 outcomes depend on President Joe Biden’s approval rating in November.
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In new fundraising results, Democrats are leading in congressional midterm races in Virginia’s second, seventh, and tenth congressional districts. The GOP hasn’t yet picked nominees for those races, but state Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach), Derrick Anderson, and Prince William County Supervisor Jeanine Lawson are leading in funds raised for races in CD two, seven, and ten respectively, according to data compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project.
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Virginia’s Tenth Congressional District has attracted 11 candidates for the GOP nomination canvass, scheduled to be held on May 21. After redistricting, Republicans see an opportunity to defeat incumbent Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-Virginia-10).
“We think we’ve got a really good shot at winning this, and I think that’s why we have 11 candidates running,” Tenth District GOP Chairman Geary Higgins told The Virginia Star.
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