After sitting on the fence for weeks, Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine has announced his plans to run for reelection. That has sparked a hot debate in Virginia GOP circles over who should challenge the former running mate of 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and who can win.
There are strong indications that Loudoun County’s Hung Cao, who fell short in a 2022 House race, will run.
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But others are hopeful that Gov. Glenn Youngkin will get in. “Kaine’s popular, and Youngkin is probably the only one who can beat him,” said a longtime commonwealth GOP strategist.
Others suggested that it is too early for Youngkin to jump back into campaigning, having served just a year in office. Most pundits have suggested he’s more likely a 2024 GOP presidential or vice presidential candidate.
As for Cao, he was just named honorary chairman of Unleash America PAC, which “is dedicated to supporting leaders and policies in Virginia and across the United States that embody the American spirit of resilience and ingenuity,” said a release.
He said, “When I was a refugee and immigrant to the United States, I wanted nothing more than to be called an American. But now, we face a crisis of confidence in the American Dream brought on by the far Left’s notion that we shouldn’t be proud of our country and its enduring values. It’s time to let Americans be Americans again.”
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- Former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who spent 11 years in the department, finally has a permanent spot in the building. Friends of the 53rd land boss gifted a painting of him to go with those of other former secretaries. “No one dedicates over 11 years of their life to any organization unless they believe in the overarching mission at hand and the people tasked with carrying it out, and that is certainly the case for me,” said the former Trump interior secretary. The painting was done by Jeffrey Bass, who has also done portraits of former President George H.W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
- Chris Whipple, the author of a new book about the first two years of Biden’s White House, said that the current president has been most surprised at the ability of Trump and his movement to stay in the headlines. “The one thing that has surprised Biden more than anything else during his presidency has been the lasting power of Trumpism. He thought it would be in the rearview mirror well before now,” he said at a book signing.
