Republican Navy veteran Hung Cao formally announced Tuesday that he was jumping into the race to unseat Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in Virginia. Cao did so with a powerful video emphasizing both his gratitude for the United States, which took his family in as refugees in 1975, and his unwillingness to see it devoured by the same forces of darkness that first brought him here.

In his announcement video, the 51-year-old father of five can be seen hammering his fist against wood, saying, "This is the scariest sound you will hear when you live in a communist country."

Cao, a combat veteran who served with special operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, hammers his fist once more, recalling it was the last sound his Vietnamese parents heard "when their fathers were taken away in the middle of the night and they never saw their loved ones again."

"That's the sound of losing your freedom," said Cao.

The retired Navy captain and his family were among the over 3 million people who fled Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia between 1975 and 1995, following the capture of Saigon by communist North Vietnamese forces.

Drawing a parallel between the fall of Saigon to the communists and America's depreciation under the Biden administration, Cao indicated that trepidation over a knock at the door is no longer a problem unique to communist nations.

"Our country has taken a dark turn," he says.

Once again simulating the sound of knocking, the senatorial candidate indicated, "That's Joe Biden's Justice Department sending two dozen armed agents to arrest a pro-life activist in front of his family. ... That's Joe Biden's IRS raiding a gun shop and seizing thousands of records from law-abiding gun owners: our names, our addresses, our Social Security numbers."

Knocking again, Cao says, "That's Joe Biden arresting his challenger in the next election: a former president of the United States," referencing the apparent political persecution of former President Donald Trump.

After indicating that Biden alternatively enjoys the kind of immunity from responsibility that only dictators enjoy, Cao stressed, "We are losing our country. You know it, but you also know you can't say it. We're forced to say that wrong is right. We're forced to lie. We can't let that happen."

Noting that "our country has real problems and we need real fighters in Washington," Cao said that after 25 years in the U.S. Navy, he is not yet "done fighting for us."

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Cao's stated policy positions and platform pledges include commitments to:

• "Repel the invasion" at the southern border, in part by building the wall and supporting border states;
• Support parental rights, maximize school choice, and tackle woke indoctrination in schools;
• Destigmitize not going to college while championing trade and vocational schools;
• Achieve American energy independence by investing in oil, gas, nuclear power, and other energy sources in the homeland;
• Onshore jobs and protect American labor from foreign nations' unfair trade practices;
• Counter communist Chinese aggression and influence;
• Protect the unborn and counter the extremist abortionist policies pushed by Democrats like Kaine; and
• Hold the Biden White House accountable for its possibly criminal actions.

Cao has also historically been critical of pandemic restrictions, including mask mandates, reported CNN.

While Kaine, now seeking a third term, is said to be favored to win back his Senate seat, the Washington Post indicated that the Republican victories during the 2021 elections that saw Gov. Glenn Youngkin elected have inspired fear and uncertainty in Democrats.

That fear manifested in a new series of attacks following Cao's announcement, with some Democrats highlighting the Navy veteran's staunch support for the unborn, gun rights, and overturning the Affordable Care Act as though they were problematic.

Susan Swecker, chair of the state Democratic Party, said, "Voters in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District already rejected Hung Cao in his bid for the U.S. House, and I can assure you he’s too extreme for the U.S. Senate."

Cao, based in Purcellville, Virginia, lost to Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton by six points in a heavily Democratic district.

Earlier this month, Cao stated, "My family and I came to this country for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The U.S. gave us a home, a flag to stand under, and countless opportunities. We have been committed to returning the favor ever since."

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