NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Candidates running for the Virginia Senate seat fired off at Wednesday night’s debate.
Incumbent Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine and Republican challenger Hung Cao were on the Norfolk State University stage debating numerous topics, and it featured a few memorable exchanges, including this one from Cao, talking about what he said was Kaine’s ineffectiveness as a legislator in the Senate.
“Again, he says what he’s going to do, but he hasn’t done it yet,” Cao said. “Honestly, of the 227 bills Sen. Kaine has proposed, three of them made it through.”
“That’s completely wrong,” Kaine said.
But Cao kept going.
“That’s a 99% failure rate,” Cao said as Kaine disputed that. “There’s two truths in the world: never walk in a Target store wearing a red shirt, and never go against an Asian when it comes to math. Trust me.”
“What does that mean,” Kaine said.
“If I had a 99% failure rate, I wouldn’t be here today,” Cao said.
“Best managed state in America, best state for business, best state for education,” Kaine said, before the debate shifted to other topics.
Poll: Who won the debate?
Old Dominion University political analyst Dr. Ben Melusky said the debate touched on issues affecting people throughout the state.
“From the top of the debate down to the bottom, we saw issues that were affecting both Virginians,” Melusky said. “Everything from starting the debate off talking about the port strike to issues that are, you know, kind of more globally affecting us, including the most recent attacks on Israel by Iran, there was a large swath of topics that were covered during this debate, both from social, domestic and international issues.”
Melusky said, however, that both candidates missed the mark a few times.
“There were many times in which both candidates didn’t quite answer the question at hand and had to be reminded by the moderators,” Melusky said. “If you’re going off just, kind of, the totals of that, I would say there was more times where Cao was reminded to about the question itself and not directly speaking to it.”
Melusky said Kaine was able to speak to more specific polices, given his experience.
“This would be a third term in the U.S. Senate,” Melusky said. “He’s had 30 years in public office. And for him, he very much had to speak to at the same first part, his record, the things he’s done while in office, and at the same time kind of toeing that party line.”
Hung Cao, however, has never held statewide office.
“[He’s] pretty much a political newcomer,” Melusky said. “He had to very much come out swinging and trying to attack Tim Kaine on that record, while at the same time toeing the party line for the Republicans. Now, whether he did that tonight or not, that’s for the voters to decide.”
With the debate over, now it’s in Virginians hands to make the final vote.
“Will this move the needle for Virginians? There’s about a 10-and-a-half point gap in polling between the two candidates in terms of fundraising,” Melusky said. “There’s about a $12 million gap between the two candidates.”
Who will take the Virginia U.S Senate on Election Day, Nov. 5?
“The debate itself tends to favor Tim Kaine,” Melusky said. “But again, it’s for the electorate to decide, and it’s for the days after for the campaigns themselves to chop up the debate and to get those — the little sound bites that will make very good campaign ads.”