Hung Cao Wins Crowded GOP Nomination Battle in Virginia

By WMAL.com

LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — A political newcomer and Vietnamese immigrant emerged from a field of 11 candidates to win the Republican nomination in a northern Virginia congressional district.

Hung Cao, a retired Navy officer, won the nomination in Virginia’s 10th District, which encompasses the outer suburbs of the nation’s capital.

He will face two-term Democratic incumbent Jennifer Wexton in November.

Republicans chose Cao in a firehouse primary with ranked-choice voting. He led through every round, but multiple candidates were eliminated before he achieved a majority over his closest competitor, Prince William County Supervisor Jeanine Lawson.

The redrawn 10th District leans Democratic but Republicans see it as competitive; Republican Glenn Youngkin won 49 percent of the vote in the district in last year’s gubernatorial race, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project.

Cao raised less money than Lawson, but concentrated his campaign in the region’s immigrant communities.

He is one of three congressional nominees selected by Republicans Saturday. In the 5th District, Rep. Bob Good overwhelmingly won re-nomination at a district convention In the heavily Democratic 8th District, Ukrainian immigrant Karina Lipsman won the party’s nominating convention and the right to challenge Democratic incumbent Don Beyer.