Cao Hùng was born on August 3,1971 in Saigon,South Vietnam. His father,Cao Quân,was assistant to Nguyễn Văn Hảo,the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic development of South Vietnam and had earned a Ph.D. at Cornell University.[6] In 1975,at age 4,Cao came with his family to the United States as refugees.[7] Cao spent some of his childhood living in Niger,where his father served as an agricultural specialist for USAID. He returned to the U.S. at age 12 and was a member of the first graduating class of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria,Virginia.[8]
Cao entered the U.S. Navy as a seaman recruit in 1989 and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in ocean engineering. In 2008,[9] he received a master's of science in applied physics at the Naval Postgraduate School.[10] A specialist in ordnance disposal and salvage diving,he led the Navy team on the USNS Grasp that recovered the bodies of John F. Kennedy Jr.,his wife Carolyn Bessette,and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette after their 1999 crash off Martha's Vineyard.[11] He spent over 30 years on active duty in the Navy,retiring as a captain in October 2021. His military career encompassed operational deployments in Iraq,Afghanistan,and Somalia.[12][13]
Cao earned the Command Ashore Badge,the Navy Diving Officer Badge and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Warfare Officers Badge. Cao is a vice president of CACI,a U.S. government contractor that provides services to defense,intelligence,and homeland security agencies.[14]
Cao was a candidate in the 2022 election for Virginia's 10th district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.[15] He cited the Biden administration's 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan as a reason he entered politics.[16] He was one of 11 candidates in the May 21 ranked-choice Republican primary. He won the election by about 2,800 votes over his nearest opponent, earning him a spot in the general election against incumbent Democrat Jennifer Wexton, who was seeking a third term.[17][15]
Cao was considered a strong candidate in a district with large populations of both Asian Americans and military families.[18] During a debate with Wexton, he expressed support for the deregulation of government across nearly all facets of life.[19] During the course of the campaign, Wexton sought to portray Hung Cao as "extreme" in comparison to the political demographics of the district, emphasizing his anti-abortion and pro-gun rights stances.[20] Cao lost the election to Wexton 53% to 47%.[21][22][23][20]
In July 2023, Cao declared himself a candidate in the 2024 Virginia U.S. Senate race.[24][7] He received the endorsement of former president Donald Trump.[25][26] On June 18, 2024, Cao won the Republican primary by a wide margin, receiving 61.8% of the vote in a five-candidate race.[27]
On June 24, USA Today reported that Cao had claimed in campaign appearances that "I'm 100% disabled, you know, because just from being blown up in combat many times." But he had not received either the Purple Heart or the Navy's Combat Action Ribbon, both of which would normally have been awarded to someone injured by enemy action. Cao declined the newspaper's request for clarification about his injuries.[28]
He advanced to the November 5 general election, facing incumbent senator Tim Kaine.[29] Kaine defeated Cao with a 8.93% margin.[30][31]
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