RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The race for U.S. Senate in Virginia is officially set. Senator Tim Kaine (D) will face Republican Hung Cao in November’s general election after Cao won the Republican nomination on Tuesday.
“Everybody in Virginia knows who Tim Kaine is, but not many people know who his opponent is,” Randolph-Macon Political Science Professor Rich Meagher told 8News.
According to his campaign website, Cao came to Virginia in 1975 as a refugee from Vietnam. He later enlisted in the Navy and served overseas in several countries.
Despite that, Meagher says Kaine’s name recognition and blueish tilt give Kaine the edge.
“Now we have seen some newcomers breakthrough, most recently Glenn Youngkin in 2021, but that was a particular set of circumstances that helped him along with that campaign and he has a tremendous amount of resources,” Meagher explained. “Maybe Hung will get those types of resources this year, but you would need a lot.”
Meagher says that because the candidates are running in a presidential year, both are likely to focus on key national issues like abortion rights and the economy.
“The Democrats are going to point to reproductive rights and suggest they are the defenders of it and the Republicans are the ones that’s gonna attack it,” Meagher said.
“Certainly they will continue to try and tie Kaine to Biden and say that Democrats are bad for the country, I just don’t know how well that argument is going to resonate,” Meagher said on the Republican strategy.
The last Republican to win a Senate seat in Virginia was George Allen in 2000.
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The race for U.S. Senate in Virginia is officially set. Senator Tim Kaine (D) will face Republican Hung Cao in November’s general election after Cao won the Republican nomination on Tuesday.
“Everybody in Virginia knows who Tim Kaine is, but not many people know who his opponent is,” Randolph-Macon Political Science Professor Rich Meagher told 8News.
According to his campaign website, Cao came to Virginia in 1975 as a refugee from Vietnam. He later enlisted in the Navy and served overseas in several countries.
Despite that, Meagher says Kaine’s name recognition and blueish tilt give Kaine the edge.
“Now we have seen some newcomers breakthrough, most recently Glenn Youngkin in 2021, but that was a particular set of circumstances that helped him along with that campaign and he has a tremendous amount of resources,” Meagher explained. “Maybe Hung will get those types of resources this year, but you would need a lot.”
Meagher says that because the candidates are running in a presidential year, both are likely to focus on key national issues like abortion rights and the economy.
“The Democrats are going to point to reproductive rights and suggest they are the defenders of it and the Republicans are the ones that’s gonna attack it,” Meagher said.
“Certainly they will continue to try and tie Kaine to Biden and say that Democrats are bad for the country, I just don’t know how well that argument is going to resonate,” Meagher said on the Republican strategy.
The last Republican to win a Senate seat in Virginia was George Allen in 2000.