Folks, the primary results are in and I have some important updates to share. But before I get into that, I have to ask: Will you become a General Election Founding Donor of my re-election campaign by splitting a $30 donation between me and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell right now? This is going to be a tough fight, and I need you by my side.

I want to start by sharing how profoundly grateful I am to officially be your Democratic nominee for the United States Senate. I’ve been serving the Commonwealth for my entire adult life — in my career as a civil rights lawyer, on Richmond City Council, as Mayor of Richmond, as Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Virginia, and now as U.S. Senator — and my passion for this work only grows with each year. Thank you for everything you’ve done to support me over the years and during this election cycle, which will be the most consequential in our lifetime. We can only make progress by working together, so it means the world to me to have you on this team.

Now, let’s talk about my opponent.

Virginia Republicans have nominated Hung Cao to run against me. Cao is a MAGA extremist through and through:

Cao isn’t new to Virginia politics — in 2022, he ran against my friend Jennifer Wexton in VA’s 10th Congressional District and proved himself as a strong grassroots fundraiser, bringing in millions of dollars even as other Republican candidates, often with more national support, struggled to do the same.

This time around, Cao won’t be hurting for national support. He’s Trump’s hand-picked candidate, and you can bet that the rest of the GOP will be right behind him funneling millions of dollars to Virginia in the push to unseat me.

We cannot afford to get complacent with a candidate like Hung Cao on the ballot, so I’m asking you to split a donation between me and Debbie right now to become a General Election Founding Donor of my re-election campaign.

Look, I’m running for re-election because I love Virginia. I love the people of this Commonwealth, from Abingdon to Arlington and everywhere in between, and I believe in us.

In the face of a Republican party that’s hellbent on tearing down our rights and even our very democracy, I believe we are and will continue to be stand-up people. We stand up for what’s right, for economic opportunity, for democracy and equality, and for each other.

I am determined to win re-election this year in part because my opponent has made it clear that he is not a stand-up leader. It’s clear even from how he operates on the campaign trail — refusing to attend a candidate forum in Abingdon because he deemed it “ridonkulous” to drive there from his home in Northern Virginia and ridiculing the Staunton newspaper as “podunk”?? That’s not the leadership our Commonwealth deserves.

Right now, I need your support to defeat my extremist opponent and keep my seat in the Senate — because we’ve got a lot more work left to do in this fight to stand up for each other.

Will you become a General Election Founding Donor? You can contribute to me and Debbie at this link: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/mw_dmp_4_kaine

Thank you so much — from the bottom of my heart.

Now let’s go win this!

-Tim Kaine