Hung Cao, Tim Kaine begin general election battle hours after primary results

Now that Virginia Republican nominee Hung Cao secured his chance to take a critical Senate seat from the left, the stakes are as high as ever.

According to the Washington Examiner, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) began trading attacks shortly after Tuesday's primary election wrapped, and the heat has already been turned to high.

Kaine and his campaign hit Cao in an X post, slamming him as a "MAGA extremist" who only looks out for himself and not the voters of Virginia.

Virginia Republicans have officially nominated Hung Cao to run against me. He’s a MAGA extremist who looks out for himself first -- not Virginians. He won’t show up for them," Kaine wrote.

Cao also took shots at Kaine. In a social media post, he highlighted the stark contrast between Kaine's background and his own, pointing to his long career in the military and Kaine's long career in elected office.

"I spent twenty-five years in the Navy, while Tim Kaine spent thirty years in elected office. The taxpayers signed the front of our paychecks for the same amount of time,” Cao wrote after it was announced that he defeated his GOP primary challengers.

The Trump-endorsed candidate added, "The difference is this: Tim Kaine got rich, and I got scars. Tim Kaine has already placed $2 million in television advertising for the fall, where he will pollute the airwaves with lies about me, but also about him."

Kaine had previously leveraged the white-hot abortion topic, claiming that a vote for Cao in November would be a vote for a national abortion ban. Cao fought back on the claim.

"This campaign is as much about the things each man will NOT do. No matter what Tim Kaine and his super PACs say, I will not vote for any federal ban on abortion and I will always protect Americans on Social Security and Medicare, Americans like my Mom," Cao wrote.

The Republican candidate doubled down in a series of follow-up posts calling out Kaine's record.

"And likewise, no matter what Tim Kaine and his super PACs say, Kaine will not secure our border or deport the illegal immigrants that should have never been in this country," Cao wrote.

He concluded by declaring that he and Donald Trump will secure victories in November.

President Trump and I will win in November, we will secure the border, we will protect Social Security, and we will save America. I spent twenty-five years fighting for this country, and I'm not done.

— Hung Cao (@HungCao_VA) June 18, 2024

A win by Cao would be a massive, critical blow to Democrats, as it would likely flip the majority power back to the Republican side. This battle is just barely heating up.