Virginia Sen. Kaine takes aim at his newly crowned Republican opponent Hung Cao

Sen. Tim Kaine’s reelection campaign came out swinging against his newly crowned Republican opponent Hung Cao, in Kaine's first ad of the General Election on Wednesday.

The ad highlights some of Cao’s most prominent gaffs on the primary campaign trail, including his use of a pejorative against the Staunton News Leader after the paper reported questionable spending by a super PAC that Cao helped to launch.

Cao called the paper “podunk” and dismissed the reporting as a “hit job” by “the left” but failed to answer material questions about spending by the super PAC he helped to launch.

“Staunton isn’t podunk! We spent our honeymoon here,” Kaine said in the ad.

The ad also points out that Cao said it was “ridonkulous” to drive five hours from his home in Purcellville to Abingdon to take part in a Republican U.S. Senate primary forum, during a teleforum hosted by the Fauquier County GOP in May.

"Abingdon isn’t ridonkulous! My wife’s aunt lived there,” Kaine said in response, in the ad.

“Elitists who won’t show up for you will never stand up for you,” Kaine says in the ad, referring to Cao. “I stand up for all Virginians, and I always will.”

Cao’s gaffs drew ire and attacks from his four opponents during the primary. Regardless, Cao, who resides in Northern Virginia, handily won the primary election on Tuesday. He gained more than 60% of the votes between five candidates in the race.

In a victory post on X Tuesday night, Cao took aim at Kaine.

“I spent twenty-five years in the Navy, while Tim Kaine spent thirty years in elected office. The taxpayers signed the front of our paychecks for the same amount of time,” Cao wrote in the post after the race was called on Tuesday. “The difference is this: Tim Kaine got rich, and I got scars. Tim Kaine has already placed $2 million in television advertising for the fall, where he will pollute the airwaves with lies about me, but also about him.”

In Kaine’s first campaign ad against Cao, at least, no lies appear to have been uttered. Cao has repeatedly called the Staunton News Leader "podunk," and the Fauquier County forum, when he said driving from Purcellville to Abington for a candidate forum was "ridonkulous," was recorded.

With Cao's campaign coffers nearly empty after a hard-fought primary race, he will need to do some significant fundraising to compete with Kaine, who is entering into the General Election with more than $8.5 million cash on hand, according to the Federal Elections Commission.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Sen. Kaine takes aim at newly crowned Republican opponent