BRISTOL, Va. – Republican Virginia Senate candidate and Navy Special Ops veteran Hung Cao slammed Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz at a campaign stop in southwest Virginia Friday for telling what he says are “blatant lies” about his military record.
“For 20 years, they let this guy go by with a lie that he deployed to Iraq, which he didn’t, and that he retired as a Command Sergeant Major which he did not. I mean, that’s just blatant lies,” Cao told The Post.
A retired Navy Captain, Cao has spent most of his adult life in uniform, first as student at the United States Naval Academy, and then as a Special Operations Officer serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
Now challenging Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in the Senate, Cao contended that his own military service has been scrutinized more heavily than the second-term Minnesota governor on the Democratic presidential ticket.
“They ran this hit piece on me saying that, you know, he said he got blown up, but he doesn’t have a Purple Heart,” Cao told The Post, referring to a USA Today article that questioned Cao’s record of service.
“Like wait a minute, are you saying the millions of disabled veterans in the United States who are 100% disabled like me that don’t have a Purple Heart are lying?”
“They wanted me to provide every time I was outside the wire, every instance where I received fire,” he added.
Appearing with Cao Friday afternoon, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin emphasized that the candidate’s military service was a key reason Virginians should elect him to the United States Senate.
“Captain Hung Cao will go to Washington and stand strong with President Trump. Captain Hung Cao understands what it means to serve, and he understands what it means to serve with honor.”
Cao received Trump’s endorsement ahead of the Virginia Senate Republican primary in June, which he won with more than 60 percent of the vote, beating out four other candidates.
Polling released in July found Cao trailing Tim Kaine by 10 points, 39% to 49%.
Still, Republicans are hoping that Cao’s story of coming to the U.S. as a Vietnam refugee and becoming a decorated military veteran can attract new voters in this purple state.
