U.S. Navy veteran Hung Cao, who served 25 years in Special Operations, recently announced his campaign in Virginia’s Republican primary election, challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine.
“We are losing our country,” Cao said in his campaign announcement video. “I still believe America can be the land of opportunity. I have an obligation to fight back against those who want to control our lives and disrupt our families. We need real fighters, not politicians, not bureaucrats, not keyboard warriors acting tough in a custom-made suit.”
Cao, a Vietnamese immigrant who served for decades in the U.S.Navy, including deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, claimed he would serve as a “fighter” for the American people if elected to the U.S. Senate in 2024.
“We are losing our country. You know it. But you also know you can’t say it. We’re forced to say that wrong is right.” he said. The former Navy veteran also warned Americans, “I’ve been all over the world. Believe me when I tell you: If America fails, there’s nowhere else to go.”
READ MORE: Fmr. Navy SEAL announces campaign to take on Senate Democrat in 2024
Sharing the story of how his family left Vietnam in the 1970s to escape the threat of communism and how his family eventually immigrated to the United States, which he described as “the most generous country on earth,” Cao said his family “believed America was the last best hope for freedom and opportunity.”
After immigrating to the United States, Cao graduated from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, prior to attending the United States Naval Academy.
After serving in the Navy and retiring with the rank of captain, Cao received a masters degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, with fellowships at both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cao currently lives in Purcellville, Virginia with his wife, April, and his five children.
After announcing his campaign, Cao now joins a heavily crowded field of Republican candidates in Virginia’s Republican primary election. Currently, there are at least eight other candidates who have filed paperwork to run for the Republican nomination and challenge Kaine, according to The Associated Press.
Kaine is expected to have an edge against his potential Republican challengers due to his prominence in Virginia politics for almost three decades. According to The Associated Press, Kaine served as mayor of Richmond, as lieutenant governor, and governor, before he was elected to the Senate in 2012. Kaine was also Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate in the 2016 presidential election.
