Former President Donald Trump stepped in with his major endorsement in the crowded Republican Senate race in Virginia, giving a nod to retired Navy Captain Hung Cao.
“Hung Cao, a combat veteran and highly decorated Special Operations Officer, will be a tireless fighter to stop inflation, grow our economy, secure our border, strongly support our incredible military/veterinarians, and protect our ever-beleaguered Second Defend the amendment,” Trump said. on its own social media platform Truth Social on Sunday. “Hung Cao has my complete and total approval.”
Cao is one of five Republicans vying to unseat incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., in Virginia, a solidly Democratic state that has elected Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2021.
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Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in the historic Democratic district of the South Bronx in New York City on May 23, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The Navy veteran's most formidable opponent in the race is likely Scott Parkinson, Club for Growth's vice president of government affairs, according to a report from the Washington Postwhich noted that former adviser to the Florida governor and Trump's former chief rival, Ron DeSantis, has raised the second-most money among GOP candidates to date.
Rounding out the Republican field are attorney and author Jonathan Emord, attorney Chuck Smith and business owner Eddie Garcia.
Cao, who ran an unsuccessful 2022 campaign in Virginia's 10th Congressional District, has far outpaced his rivals in fundraising so far, raising more than $2 million, more than double the $841,000 raised by Parkinson .
California Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Hung Cao greet voters and supporters on midterm election day at the Round Hill Elementary School Precinct on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 in Round Hill, VA. (Jabin Botsford/Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Despite Cao's impressive fundraising, the Republican challenger is far behind incumbent Kaine, who has raised $13 million since 2019. Kaine is also running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Complicating matters for Cao are significant political headwinds, with the Cook Political Report rating the seat a 'Solid D', indicating strength for Hillary Clinton's former running mate. Virginia was also won handily by President Biden, who defeated Trump by 10 points in the 2020 presidential race in Virginia.
Cao, who came to the United States as a Vietnamese refugee at age 4, said he is “honored” to have the former president's support as he tries to fend off his Republican rivals.
Former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024. (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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“I am honored to receive a message of support from the 45th and 47th Presidents of the United States, Donald Trump!” Cao said in a statement about X.
Virginia will hold its Republican Senate primaries on June 18.
