Kaine and Cao meet in Senate debate

NORFOLK, Va. (WDBJ) - The two candidates for U.S. Senate in Virginia met Wednesday in the only televised debate of the campaign.

Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine and Republican challenger Hung Cao faced off in Norfolk, sparring on hot-button issues such as immigration, guns and reproductive rights.

The candidates debated before an audience at Norfolk State University, with television viewers watching in every media market across the state. Nexstar Media produced the broadcast.

The exchange was pointed, highlighting sharp differences on a number of issues, such as abortion rights. “He’s got the most extreme views, which is unlimited abortion up to and including the moment of birth,” Cao said.

“That’s not my position,” Kaine replied.

“Yessir, it is,” Cao said. “It is, because you voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. That is the most extreme thing there is.”

“There was a bill called the Born Alive Protection Act that I did vote against because it was already federal law,” Kaine replied. “It had become federal law ten years before, and every state prohibits abortion in those circumstances. This was an effort to smear women like calling them Nazis or bomb-makers.”

A question on gun buybacks prompted an exchange on measures that could make a difference with gun violence. “The worst day of my life was the day when I was governor and there was the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech, 32 people, innocent people, faculty members killed. And they were killed because we didn’t have a comprehensive background check system that would have stopped that mentally disturbed young man from buying a weapon he was not authorized to have. That’s the most important thing we can do to bring down gun violence in the country,” Kaine said.

“What Senator Kaine wants to do is introduce more laws that will restrict Americans from buying guns, instead of doing background checks on illegal aliens coming across this country. 13,000 convicted murderers, 16,000 convicted rapists, that are coming across under his watch. Let’s do background checks on them,” Cao said. At times during the debate, the moderators struggled to get the candidates to answer their questions and follow the ground rules, as in this exchange over Sen. Kaine’s performance.

“Look, he’s got a 99% failure rate, if I had a 99% failure rate I wouldn’t be here tonight,” Cao said.

“Best managed state in America, best state for business, best state for education,” Kaine said.

“Mr. Kaine, Mr. Cao,” one of the moderators said, “we’re moving on to the next topic.”