During a debate on Sunday in Virginia's 10th Congressional District, GOP candidate Hung Cao held up posters created by the campaign of his Democrat opponent, incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton, which claim that he is an “extremist.”
“Where have you heard this word before?” Cao asked the debate audience at the Dar al Noor mosque in Manassas.
Cao came to the U.S. as a Vietnamese refugee in 1975 and went on to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. He served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years, rising to the rank of captain, before retiring in 2021.
“Where have you heard this word before? I fought and served this country. I bled for this country. And I’m being called an ‘extremist.’ I’ve served honorably for every American. I know lots of people that served with me didn’t agree with my politics. And its fine. I served them anyways. I served them as a commanding officer, and I served them in combat, to preserve life. And now I’m being called an ‘extremist.' ”
“Where have you heard that before? This is how we tear people apart. I deserve to be called an American. I’ve earned that right. We’ve all earned that right. We’ve earned that right to be called Americans, even though we weren’t born here,” he continued.
Wexton responded: “His views are extreme. His opinions are extreme on women’s health. His opinions are extreme on gun violence prevention. They are. I’m calling him extreme because his views on these issues are extreme and they’re outside the mainstream of this district.”
Wexton was loudly booed while Cao received a rousing ovation after completing his closing statement.
Democrats have made referring to their Republican opponents as “extremist” a key theme of their 2022 election strategy. Rep. Tim Ryan, the Democratic Party’s nominee in Ohio’s open Senate race, claimed in September that Americans have to “kill and confront” an extremist Republican movement.
Joe Biden said last month: “Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
@HungCaoCongress holds up @JenniferWexton’s flyers calling him an extremist
“Where have you heard that before?” He asks in front of the Islamic Center’s crowd Pointed. End the Establishment. FBI went from calling every Muslim an extremist to now calling conservatives extremists pic.twitter.com/ZHPBpXckhh — NOVA Campaigns (@NoVA_Campaigns) October 2, 2022
Action . . . . Intelligence . . . . Publish
