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Republican candidate and political newcomer Hung Cao failed to win a seat in the U.S. House Tuesday night after trailing incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) in his campaign to "pay back everything this country gave me," the Loudoun Times-Mirror reports.
Cao, 51, focused his priorities on voters’ concerns about education, national security, and the economy. His policy platform is heavily based on the concept of limited government. The veteran and refugee also drew from his experience achieving the “American Dream” after his family fled Vietnam in 1975 in a bid to reach voters. He would have been the state's first Vietnamese American and second Asian American Congress member had he been elected.
Throughout the race, Cao positioned himself in direct opposition to the Biden administration, rejecting gun control, aid to Ukraine, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed last year. He supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade and called for tighter border security and increased military funding.
In his first debate with Wexton, Cao argued that decisions regarding students’ names and pronouns should be left to their parents. He also believes the U.S. should be “energy-independent” and has denounced President Joe Biden’s order to revoke the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.
Unlike some other Republican candidates this cycle, Cao has publicly stated that Biden won the 2020 presidential election.
Wexton accused Cao of harboring extremist views, however, citing his claims that Jan. 6 Capitol rioters have been denied due process, per the Associated Press.
“I fought and bled for this country. I’m an American. And she calls me the same name she calls a terrorist,” Cao responded.
Several high-profile Republicans backed Cao, including Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who won 49% of the vote in the 10th district last year and shares similar views with Cao on education policy and parents’ rights in the classroom.
In May, Cao and Youngkin met with about 100 Asian American community leaders in northern Virginia to discuss education-related issues, including race- versus merit-based school admissions.
Asian Americans make up 17% of the population of the 10th district, compared to 7% of the state of Virginia, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Support for Cao reflects a nationwide trend showing Asian Americans shifting to the right, mainly due to concerns about crime rates and the economy.
Before running for Congress, Cao served in the military for 25 years and was deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia. His non-combat assignments included balancing the Navy’s $140 million budget and writing policy for the Department of Defense. He does not have previous experience in elected office.
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