As election season approaches, Potomac Local News is dedicated to informing the community about candidates vying for the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Early voting in Virginia begins Sept. 20.
To help voters in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District make an informed decision, we continue a feature series offering insights into each candidate’s stand on critical issues affecting our area. Candidates are emailed a question and asked to reply by a deadline.
This first question focuses on data centers.
This format lets voters quickly compare the candidates’ views on critical issues, helping them make an informed choice come election day. Senator Tim Kaine and Hung Cao are running for the U.S. Senate. Derrick Anderson and Eugene Vindman are running for the District 7 seat in the House of Representatives.
This week, we asked Tim Kaine (D) and Hung Cao (R) the following question:
Given the rapid expansion of data centers in Virginia, how do you plan to balance the economic benefits they bring with the environmental and community impacts, such as energy consumption and land use?
Kaine responded:
“While data centers fall under the jurisdiction of state and local officials in Virginia, I remain focused on bringing good-paying jobs to the Commonwealth. During my time in the Senate, I’ve proudly introduced several bills to expand job training and upskilling programs and help fill the high-demand jobs of the future in tech sectors – including in data centers. At the same time, building an economy that works for everyone requires taking steps to protect communities from noise pollution, water loss, and negative environmental consequences.”
Cao did not respond.
We asked Derrick Anderson (R) and Eugene Vindman (D), both running for House of Representatives the following question:
Data centers are a significant part of Virginia’s economy; how do you plan to work with local and state governments to ensure that their growth benefits local communities without compromising quality of life?
Anderson did not respond.
Vindman did not respond.
This series will continue next week. If you have suggestions for topics, feel free to add a comment.
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine (D) expressed disappointment that his opponent, Hung Cao (R), declined to participate in three scheduled debates and forums. This continued a pattern observed during the GOP primary when Cao skipped 12 of 13 candidate forums.
In a press release, Kaine states that he remains committed to discussing his efforts to support Virginia’s economy, health care, reproductive rights, and military families in an upcoming debate in Norfolk on October 2. Potomac Local emailed the Hung Cao campaign for a comment and received no response.
Yesterday, Cao held a veterans event in Norfolk.
Early voting for the November 2024 General Election begins Friday, September 20, 2024.
Press release:
Last week, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce/NBC4 and AARP had to cancel their respective Senate debate and forum because the Cao campaign informed them that he refused to participate. The Northern Virginia Chamber/NBC4 debate was originally scheduled for September 19, and the AARP forum was scheduled for September 13.
Michael Beyer, Communications Director for Kaine for Virginia, released the following statement in response:
“As is tradition, Senator Kaine accepted four invitations for debates and candidate forums in different regions of the Commonwealth. He is disappointed that his opponent has refused to participate in the first three. But he isn’t surprised—his opponent skipped 12 of 13 candidate forums during the GOP primary.
“Senator Kaine looks forward to appearing with his opponent in Norfolk on October 2 to talk about his record of standing up for Virginians and describing his ongoing work to create high-quality jobs, reduce health care costs, protect reproductive freedom, and support our military families and veterans.”
Last month, the Virginia Bar Association canceled their debate on July 20 because they were “unable to obtain a timely commitment to participate from the Cao campaign.”
Cao skipped 12 out of 13 candidate forums during the GOP primary, only attending a single forum in his home county. The list of GOP forums he skipped is as follows:
- Spotsylvania US Senate Candidate Forum – 2/25
- Virginia Beach Republican Women’s Club Candidate Forum – 2/27
- US Senate Candidate Forum, Virginia Beach – 3/16
- US Senate Candidate Forum – Immigration/Economy, Arlington – 3/18
- Virginia Beach Candidate Forum – 3/25
- Chasing Freedom Virginia National Security Forum, Arlington – 4/9
- Candidate Forum, Suffolk – 4/11
- US Senate Candidate Forum, Chesterfield – 4/20
- VA US Senate Republican Candidate Forum, Alexandria – 4/30
- US Senate Candidate Forum, Appomattox – 5/4
- US Senate Candidate Town Hall Forum, Chantilly – 5/11
- Virginia Republican US Senatorial Candidate Forum, Staunton – 5/17
Original Post: Senator Tim Kaine (D) and congressional hopeful Eugene Vindman quietly campaigned in Woodbridge on Wednesday, July 3.
The duo were joined by other elected officials, including Margaret Franklin and Victor Angry, who sit on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
Veterans Grow America hosted an event on its retail space next to Wegmans at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center in Woodbridge.
It was great to join Senator @TimKaine this afternoon for a roundtable discussion at Veterans Growing America in Woodbridge.
From helping Veterans build their own business, to fighting to end Veteran homelessness — in Congress I will be a champion for our Veteran community. pic.twitter.com/8yBTxJnx0B
— Eugene Vindman (@YVindman) July 3, 2024
A Kaine campaign spokesman emailed Potomac Local, and Kaine made the campaign stump as part of his “Salute to Service” tour, which kicked off on July 1 to celebrate public servants, made stops in Stafford and Woodbridge, highlighting his long-standing support for military members, veterans, teachers, and healthcare workers.
A spokesman for Veterans Growing America told us Kaine’s campaign would invite the press, but no press attended the event. Potomac Local did not receive notification about Kaine’s campaign stumps in our area despite receiving regular press releases from his Senate office.
Communications from Kaine’s campaign and senate office in Washington, D.C., are managed by employees. A Kaine campaign staffer added that reporters would have been allowed in if any had shown up.
The campaign appearance comes after the presidential debate between Biden and Trump. Many Democrats have called for Biden to step aside and allow someone else to run for the presidency due to the president’s declining cognitive abilities.
So far, the candidates have been silent on whether or not Biden should end his re-election campaign, so we asked Kaine and Vindman (see the text of our email to each campaign below) and received no response from either candidate. However, Kaine stated his support for Biden’s re-election campaign on his X account on Thursday, July 4; “I’m with Joe. We stand up and stand together. Trump and his lemmings will tear us down and tear us apart.”
Sign up for our FREE news email, and we’ll let you know if the candidates respond to our questions.
Dear Senator Kaine and Col. Vindman,
Happy Independence Day. My name is Uriah Kiser, and I am the publisher of Potomac Local News. We recently came across a post on Facebook about your joint visit to Veterans Grow America in Woodbridge, a commendable organization and one of our valued sponsors.
Veterans Grow America informed us that no reporters attended the event, despite an expectation that Senator Kaine would invite the press. We would appreciate your assistance in addressing the following questions for an article we are preparing:
1. What members of the press were invited to the event? If none were invited, could you explain the reasoning behind this decision?
2. What key points and discussions took place during your campaign stop in Woodbridge? Additionally, why was Veterans Grow America chosen as the location for this visit?
3. Where do you, Senator Kaine, and you, Col. Vindman, stand regarding your support for President Joe Biden’s reelection? Since the debate a week ago, there have been calls for him to step down from the race; do you support those calls?
5. How has the president’s debate performance changed your respective campaigns as we closer to early voting?
6. Col. Vindman, you have been accused of having staff screen voters before you speak to them in public. https://x.com/notlarrysabato/status/1803102785744797731 Is this true? Is this why no press was invited to the Woodbridge event?
4. How do you each of you plan to spend your Independence Day holiday this year?The responses you provide will be included in a post on our site, potomaclocalnews.com. We believe our readers will be very interested in your insights and perspectives on these matters.
Thank you for your time and attention. We look forward to your response.
Uriah Kiser
Founder & Publisher
Potomac Local News
It’s obvious where Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine stands on abortion access. And that’s not just for the fact that his party has been outspoken in support of access and other reproductive rights. Kaine has also co-sponsored the bipartisan Reproductive Freedom For All Act — an attempt to codify abortion protections into federal law.
Elected officials are questioning why Quantico Marine Corps Base didn't tell the public about an attempted security breach at its main gate on May 3, 2024.
After pressing base officials, seven days after the incident, Potomac Local News broke the news of an early-morning incident in which two men driving a box truck approached the base's main gate on Fuller Road outside Dumfries. They claimed to be Amazon contractors making a delivery to the base's post office. Despite lacking proper credentials, they attempted to access the base.
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“The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is facing a looming budget shortfall, and Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen are hoping to ease operational costs related to national security and counterterrorism efforts, reports Sarah Roderick-Fitch at The Center Square. “The four congressmen penned a letter to President Joe Biden requesting his administration include at least $30 million in the FY25 budget to offset expenses stemming from supporting counterterrorism and national security concerns.”
Press Release: “Senator Tim Kaine will join Mayor Derrick Wood for a roundtable with veterans at TSI, a veteran-owned IT service provider, in Dumfries to discuss their experiences in the community and issues they’re facing.”
This will take place Wednesday, August 2, 2023.
“Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), has long supported Virginia’s veterans and their families. Last year, he helped pass the PACT Act to provide benefits to veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other toxins.”
“He will highlight that veterans who apply for benefits by August 9 and qualify under the PACT Act may be eligible to receive benefits backdated to August 10, 2022.”
“He has introduced the Helping Heroes Act of 2023, legislation to support disabled veterans and their families, including children who take on caregiving roles. Kaine has also secured federal funding to help veterans access affordable housing and has introduced legislation to amend the tax code to incentivize businesses to hire military spouses.”
“Then, Kaine will head to Stafford to discuss transportation infrastructure needs and highlight federal dollars going to the County, including nearly $22 million in highway funds to date from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”
“Kaine will also celebrate $2.21 million in federal funding he helped include in the Senate’s draft FY2024 government funding bill, which he will fight to pass later this year, to make improvements to the Stefaniga Road and Mountain View Road intersection and to the Lake Mooney Water Treatment Plant. With the government funding, the intersection would be converted to a roundabout to improve safety and reduce delays, while the treatment plant upgrades would improve drinking water quality for Stafford County residents.”
“Kaine has long fought for infrastructure improvements throughout the Commonwealth and helped bass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Kaine recently announced over $44 million in federal funding for Virginia airports and $171 million in federal funding to improve bus facilities.”
“Wednesday, August 2, 2023: Kaine & Wood to Host Roundtable Discussion with Veterans, 1:30 p.m. 2525 Pointe Center Court, Suite 200, Dumfries.”
“Kaine to Celebrate Federal Funding for Infrastructure Improvements in Stafford, 3:30 p.m. Stafford County Government Center, Conference Room ABC 1300 Courthouse Road, Stafford.”
The Center Square: “Sen. Tim Kaine is pressuring the U.S. Postal Service to address mail delivery issues plaguing some regions of Virginia. Kaine is pressing for answers regarding “persistent issues” with mail delivery across the commonwealth and how the postal service plans to fix them.”
“I am concerned that Virginia communities as far-flung as Smyth County in southwest Virginia, the Richmond area (nearly 300 miles away from Chilhowie by highway), and Arlington, across the river from Washington, D.C., are all experiencing missing bills, medications, tax documents, and days/weeks without mail,” said Kaine.”
