VIRGINIA (DC News Now) -- Democratic incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine is projected to win the Virginia U.S. Senate seat, defeating Republican challenger Hung Cao, according to the Associated Press. Kaine was elected to the Senate in 2012. He was re-elected to the seat in 2018 and will now serve his third term. 2024 Virginia Election Results Before serving as a senator, he held various public office positions, including on the Richmond City Council, as Richmond's mayor, as Virginia's lieutenant governor and as governor of Virginia. A retired Navy captain who came to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam, Cao never has held a position as an elected official. He ran for Congress unsuccessfully in 2022 against Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.).