Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), the defending incumbent in the race for his U.S. Senate seat from Virginia, and Republican nominee Hung Cao held their first and only debate on Oct. 2 at Norfolk State University, a historically black college in Norfolk, Virginia.
The one-hour debate was policy-heavy. Moderators asked the candidates about their stances on many issues, including inflation, housing, immigration, and abortion.
When asked to name one policy to help Virginians reduce the cost of living, Cao said energy independence would reduce the energy price and bring down inflation. To the same question, Kaine cited COVID-19 as the reason for inflation and said affordable clean energy, reducing the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, and giving students loan relief would help solve the problem.
The audience, asked to show no reaction to candidates, remained quiet for the first half hour until the issue of military recruiting was discussed. The City of Norfolk is home to the world’s largest naval base, and many military families live in the larger Hampton Roads area.
The audience applauded for the first time after Cao answered a question about how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies hurt military recruiting.
“When you’re using a drag queen to recruit for the Navy, that’s not what the people we want,” the retired naval captain said. “What we need is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them, and ask for seconds. Those are young men and women that are going to win wars.”
The audience applauded again when Kaine said DEI was a distraction and that communicating the benefits of military service better was the real issue.
“My son received superb leadership training that is going to benefit him for the rest of his life,” Kaine said, speaking of his son, a veteran of the U.S. Marines. “But if you don’t know someone in the military, you might not understand that, and that’s what we need to do to communicate better. When we do, we'll have more people sign up to serve their country.”
During the debate, Kaine tried to show Cao as an extremist, citing Cao’s stance on banning abortion, while Cao positioned himself as a warrior who loves his country and freedom. He often mentioned his family, who fled Vietnam to the United States in 1975 before communists took over Saigon, and that they waited seven years to obtain U.S. citizenship.
“I want to be very clear tonight: I will not sign any bill at the federal level to ban abortion,” Cao said, noting that the decision should be with the states. “I don’t want a senator from California or a congressman from Idaho making decisions for Virginians.”
That statement won him another applause from the audience.
Moderators asked pointed questions tailored to the candidates. For example, they asked if Cao would support a mass deportation of illegal migrants and if Kaine would support granting them amnesty. Both candidates skirted the questions but gave a straight answer when moderators followed up. Cao said he would support a mass deportation and Kaine responded that he “never supported amnesty.”
When Kaine denied that, Cao said, “Never go against an Asian when it comes to math.”
Cao delivered his closing remarks first.
“When Vietnam fell, we had nowhere to run to, but this great country called the United States took us in, gave us an opportunity, and gave us life,” he said.
Cao expressed his love for the country and his worries for America’s future.
“This country has taken a dark turn, and the Democrats are turning this country into what I ran away from,” he said.
“The choice is pretty clear for Virginians. You want results, or you want extremism,” Kaine said.
Kaine, a former governor of the Commonwealth, has never lost a statewide election in his career, including serving as Virginia’s lieutenant governor, governor, and senator. Despite losing the 2016 presidential election as Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Kaine won Virginia with more than 200,000 votes.
Cao is running for office for the second time. Two years ago, he lost to incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) in a race to represent the Tenth Congressional District in northern Virginia.
Kaine previously agreed to do four debates with Cao, who said last month that he didn’t need more than one.
Cao has received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
During Cao’s speech at the Republican National Convention in July, he told the delegates: “Virginia will elect me and President Trump. And together, we will save America.”
In-person early voting began in Virginia on Sept. 20. Absent any October surprises, a Cao victory on Trump’s coattail looks challenging.
