Podunk Local Paper

Republican Hung Cao, who is seeking the nomination to run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Tim Kaine, recently referred to the Staunton News Leader as a “podunk local paper” and doubled down by adding “you wouldn’t even wrap your fish with that.” According to the Cardinal News, Cao also deems it a waste of time to travel to the 6th and 9th congressional districts to debate his opponents.

How is the News Leader even on Cao’s radar. Well, being part of the Gannett USA Today media network, the News Leader picked up a story about Cao’s Unleash America PAC not benefitting any Republican candidates for state and local office as promised when he created it in 2023. That story was picked up by the Virginia Public Assess Project news aggregator which attributed the story to the Staunton paper… that’s where Cao apparently learned about it.

A few observations…

Cao should research more before sounding off and belittling a newspaper and, indeed, an entire region. It does not speak well of his depth or temperament. He should at least have been aware that the article was actually from a respected national media organization and not some “podunk local paper.”

Maybe Mr. Cao prefers to campaign from his desk in NOVA via zoom, but most folks like to meet the candidate in person and take the measure of the man or woman. Tim Kaine knows this and visits the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia regularly. So Mr. Cao, take a tour down I-81, meet some folks, and maybe learn about the region’s transportation and infrastructure needs along the way. Plus, the scenery is great!

From where I perch in the Shenandoah Vally, Hung Cao’s candidacy appears to be “ridonkulous.”