NORFOLK, Va. — Political observers have already placed bets on Tim Kaine, predicting the Democrat will glide into a third term as the junior U.S. Senator of Virginia, a state that hasn’t elected a Republican to the upper chamber since 2002.
Virginia
Navy vet has Trump's nod ahead of Virginia's US Senate primary, targets Tim Kaine in uphill battle
“The only person that was better off today than they were four years ago is an illegal alien,” Republican candidate Hung Cao, a 25-year Navy veteran who served in combat zones, told The Associated Press.
Cao has the most campaign money and past experience running for higher office in a general election among the five contenders in the primary on June 18. He also has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who stated that Cao would help stop inflation, secure the border and “defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”
Cao’s biography includes fleeing Vietnam with his family as a child in the 1970s. In a campaign video, he compares Vietnam’s communist regime during the Cold War to today’s Biden Administration.
“We are losing our country,” Cao says in the ad, which blames Biden for the criminal cases against Trump and shows footage of border crossings and store lootings. “You know it. But you also know that you can’t say it. We’re forced to say that wrong is right. We’re forced to lie.”
Cao told the AP that Kaine is a “rubber stamp” for Biden, while the GOP base is energized to end Kaine’s 30-year political career.
“If you want the nice guy up there, I’m not your guy,” Cao added. “If you want somebody to go in and kick some tail, I’m your guy that’s going to get this done.”
But whether Cao or anyone else in the primary can get it done is a big question. Political scientists say there’s a narrow path to victory for the GOP given Virginia’s moderate electorate, aversion to Trump in 2020 and Kaine’s salience with voters.
The most recent Republican from Virginia to hold a U.S. Senate seat was the late John Warner, a centrist with an independent streak who last won in 2002.
Kaine won his last race in 2018 by 16 percentage points. He has said he’s preparing for a tough race this year and noted that “Virginians will vote for Republicans in statewide elections,” as they did in 2021 for Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“Nobody can take that for granted,” Kaine said when he announced his reelection bid.
Still, Kaine’s seat is listed as solidly Democratic by the nation’s three big political prognosticators: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia.
“This is definitely an uphill climb for the Republican Party in this state, particularly with a candidate who could be more easily tied to Trump,” said Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, a Christopher Newport University political science professor and research director of its Wason Center for Civic Leadership.
Besides Cao, the primary candidates include Scott Parkinson, a former congressional staffer for Ron DeSantis who now works for the conservative economic policy group Club for Growth. Jonathan Emord is an author and lawyer who often cites his experience successfully fighting the Food and Drug Administration in court.
Eddie Garcia is a U.S. Army veteran and former Army liaison in Congress who owns a mobile app that serves military veterans. Chuck Smith is a Marine veteran, former Navy JAG commander and an attorney.
Cao stands out for his Trump endorsement as well as his campaign war chest. As of March 31, he’s raised $2 million, more than double what any of his rival’s have, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Cao also made a decent showing in 2022 against Democratic U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton in blue-leaning northern Virginia. He lost the race by 6.5 percentage points in a district that Biden won two years earlier by 19 percentage points.
“I don’t have to win northern Virginia,” Cao said of his general election strategy. “I just need to move it the way I did.”
Cao has not escaped controversy. The Staunton News Leader reported that his Unleash America super PAC made zero campaign contributions to Republicans running for the statehouse in 2023, even though that was the PAC’s stated goal. It had raised about $100,000 in individual contributions.
Cao told the AP the story was “a hit job” and “there’s no there there.” He elaborated further to radio host John Fredericks, stating that the money had to go to start-up fees, lawyers and “compliance people.”
The News Leader reported that the PAC’s expenses included legal fees and money for digital fundraising, a communications firm and Cao’s campaign manager. Cao later told podcast host Alec Lace that he did nothing illegal and that the story was published by a “podunk local newspaper.”
The matter prompted attacks from some of Cao’s primary opponents and Democrats. But if Cao wins the primary, it will likely be a miniature scandal compared to the challenge of winning over moderate voters, said Bromley-Trujillo, the Christopher Newport University professor.
It’s a challenge all of the primary candidates would face, she said. They’ve run campaigns that are mostly to the right of Republican Gov. Youngkin’s successful race three years ago. And she doesn’t expect any to pivot toward the center after clamoring for Trump’s endorsement.
As a candidate in 2021, Youngkin did not disavow Trump but he kept him at a distance. Youngkin also focused on state and local issues, such as parents’ frustrations over pandemic school closures and pitching an end to the state’s grocery tax.
The governor’s race was the most recent opportunity for GOP candidates to win statewide office, with a Republican lieutenant governor and Attorney General scoring wins alongside Youngkin.
Youngkin, however, won by two percentage points. And J. Miles Coleman, associate editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, questions whether Youngkin would have succeeded if the race occurred after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the national right to an abortion in 2022.
“Virginia tends to be a little redder in those odd numbered years because maybe state issues are more the focus or Democratic enthusiasm might just be lower in those years,” Coleman said.
Still, in 2023, Democrats who campaigned on protecting abortion rights retook full control of Virginia’s General Assembly. It marked a sharp loss for Youngkin and his proposed 15-week abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.
Meanwhile, Coleman said Kaine has a reputation as a dad-like figure who is pretty relatable. He’s won all of his statewide races, including as governor and technically as a vice presidential candidate in 2016, when he and Hillary Clinton carried the Commonwealth.
“Virginia is a blue state but it’s not California or Massachusetts,” Coleman added. “And once you get west of Charlottesville there is a lot of Republican turf. It’s usually pretty Democratic, but Republicans can win here if everything falls into place for them.”
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Helen Dragas, CEO of Dragas Companies, said she does not feel her company had an “unfair advantage” in pursing a deal to buy Virginia Beach National Golf Club.
Rather, Dragas said her team took the initiative to put forward the “the “best competitive proposal we could.”
Next month, Virginia Beach City Council could vote to sell the 270-acre 18-hole course to Dragas, who along with Texas-based Century Golf, would redesign and refurbish the course. Dragas would then build nearly 660 housing units on the southern end of the property, and build a new childcare center.
Dragas’ proposal, titled “Princess Anne Landing,” was one of nine total groups who responded to the city’s request for proposals regarding of the future of the course.
Still, many on both social media and in public comments have accused the longtime housing developer of having the upper hand, given that she had the city sign a non-disclosure agreement in 2024, more than a year before the city’s intentions of possibly selling the course became public.
As part of an interview Tuesday with 10 On Your Side, Dragas was asked about those accusations and other questions. Responses are edited for style and brevity purposes.
REPORTER: You’ve heard some of the criticisms … sitting through the public hearings. … How do you take it when people say that you got an unfair advantage?
DRAGAS: I say that we invested thousands of hours of hard work and due diligence watching public hearings, media council meetings, digging into those engineering studies that I referenced before that showed the deficiencies, … understanding the comprehensive plan, the Historic Overlay District, the ITA situation, all that. There’s a lot of complexity there and we invested a lot of time and energy to develop the best competitive proposal we could. We never knew we would see it, and we still don’t know if we’ll see a single cent of that investment back. And that’s competition and that’s initiative, and we live in a country that’s always rewarded initiative. And we took it. And while others might have been spending their time on other projects or other endeavors, this is what we were doing. So we didn’t receive any nonpublic information. We just did our homework and I think we tried to solve a lot of problems in one proposal: housing, homeownership, childcare, golf course, you know, redesign and refresh and reinvestment and a future tax stream for the course. So we think we come up with something that provides benefit, not just at offers, but to a lot of other constituents in the city as well. We’re really proud of it.
REPORTER: You were telling me that … long before even the auditors report, you had your eye on that that parcel and thought it would be good for houses. Correct?
DRAGAS: Well, we always knew that there was that section that … could handle some housing, yes. And others did as well. There were other rentals. There was another unsolicited proposal or two. And then I think about half of the respondents to the proposal included housing.
Under the terms that have been negotiated between City Council and economic development staff for months in closed session, Dragas would purchase the roughly 270 acre course for $17.9 million from the city. The city will, in turn, give the $17.9 million back to Dragas, along with $1.8 million from the Virginia Beach Development Authority, to go towards an estimated $38 million golf course redevelopment.
On top of the nearly $20 million the city would give the development team for the golf course work, the city could contribute up to nearly $8 million in public infrastructure along Tournament Drive and Princess Anne Road, to include turn lanes, streetscape improvements, utility relocations, and a sewer extension.
REPORTER: Why does it need to be a public-private partnership?
DRAGAS: So right now the city has millions of dollars in deferred renovation — $7.7 million in identified stormwater deficiencies and remaining clubhouse and facilities repair. That doesn’t cover anything about renovating a 30-year-old course. And … everything needs a renovation, refurbishment at some point in its life, physical life. And so, this course needs that. There’s also public infrastructure that serves the entire area right there. So there’s some Virginia Beach Development Authority parcels that sit there and the first tee … as you probably know, is that land is going to be dedicated to the First Tee. There’s sanitary sanitary sewer infrastructure that serves all those parcels that was originally connected to be temporary, and that was almost 30 years ago. So the city has, I think, some deferred public infrastructure costs as well. What our proposal does is take the city off the hook for future maintenance liabilities. They’re actually going to come out of pocket less than they would if they just did the stormwater and the clubhouse repairs that were made, and in exchange, the city will have a $3.4 million a year tax revenue stream, a completely refreshed and refreshed renovated golf course, a badly needed child care facility and then, of course, the homes, homeownership opportunities for over 600 families.
-
World4 minutes agoUS military says it completed latest strikes on Iran, targets included Bandar Abbas
-
Politics16 minutes agoInside Trump’s Swift Construction of a White House Helipad
-
Science28 minutes agoThe Wildfire Researchers Who Burn Houses Down on Purpose
-
Lifestyle52 minutes ago
Apache chef Nephi Craig says cooking Native food saved his life
-
Technology1 hour agoGoogle is better at playing the AI regulations game
-
World1 hour agoIran calls on Houthis to prepare to cut off Red Sea gateway — can the terror group do it?
-
Politics1 hour agoTodd Blanche roasts Adam Schiff in heated hearing: ‘You’re a lawyer, you know the rules’
-
Health1 hour agoGame-changing cholesterol pill wins FDA approval after cutting LDL nearly 60%
