Marine veteran Cao, U.S. Senate candidate, says he's 'not done fighting for us yet'

Work experience: CACI Solutions Architect 2021-2022: Collaborated in the development of defense drone solutions for the military and CACI VP since 2022: Navy and Marine Corps customer manager, interface between CACI and the Department of the Navy for IT solutions, electronic warfare, shipbuilding, service support.

Government experience: FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force: supported homeland security, strengthened local and federal bomb squads, established and trained a bomb squad in Monterey, California, supported evidence recovery; Two years at the Pentagon to define warfighter requirements for new equipment and two years to balance the Navy's $140 billion budget

Training: BS in Marine Engineering from the US Naval Academy, MS in Applied Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, National Security Fellowship at MIT, and Executive Fellowship at Harvard University

Profession: Vice President, CACI International

Military experience: 1989-2021; US Naval Academy; US Navy Diver: recovered John F. Kennedy Jr. plane, several planes that crashed into the sea, and other underwater missions. The Commanded Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center trains 1,400 specialty divers from all five services each year; US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal: Defused Bombs for SEAL Teams and Special Forces ODA in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. Commanded Exploitation Cell that reversed engineered IEDs and implemented countermeasures to protect our troops; In Iraq, he wrote thousands of arrest warrants, testified in Iraqi courts, and trained Iraqi judges in evidence collection and special operations: sensitive activities around the world with JSOC and SOCOM.

Family: Married 25 years, five children

Place of residence: Purcellville

Why are you running for election to the U.S. Senate?

“I'm running for U.S. Senate to save the country that saved my life. I spent 25 years in Marine special operations fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, while Tim Kaine spent 30 years in elected office. For the same period, taxpayers signed the front of our paychecks. The difference is this: Tim Kaine got rich while I got scars. In the U.S. Senate, I will always put Virginia first and protect the Commonwealth.”

What would be your top three priorities if elected?

“Secure the border, secure the border and secure the border.” Everything flows from there. It is a national security concern because we have millions of people who should not be here, including terrorists, gang members and common criminals. We pay a billion dollars a day to feed and house illegal immigrants in this country.

“We take better care of them than we take care of the Americans. Thousands of Americans are currently homeless due to Hurricane Helene, and we need to put them in hotels and get room service instead of leaving it to illegal immigrants. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Tim Kaine spent billions of taxpayer dollars in disaster relief to feed and house illegal immigrants, and now American families in need are being left in the lurch. As your senator, I will always fight for Virginia.”

Why are you the better candidate to represent Virginia in this Senate seat?

“After serving our country in the Navy for 25 years, I have been all over the world. I have seen communism first hand and know what it is like to lose your country. We are losing ours today and believe me, we have nowhere else to go.

“I've spent my life repaying my debt to America, and I'm not done fighting for us yet. Tim Kaine is a weak man in a dangerous world, and along with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, he is destroying Virginia's way of life. On November 5th we will win and save both our country and the Commonwealth from the mistakes of Tim Kaine since he took office 30 years ago.”