Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine has won re-election to the U.S. Senate, according to an early-night projection from CNN. A former governor, Kaine defeated the Republican nominee, Prince William County board of supervisors member Corey Stewart. Kaine was first elected to the Senate in 2012, succeeding fellow Democrat Jim Webb. Hillary Clinton selected Kaine as her running mate in 2016.
Corey Stewart had run for the GOP nomination for governor in 2017, losing a narrow primary against Ed Gillespie. Among the issues the Minnesota-born Stewart embraced was a movement in Virginia to oppose the removal of statues and monuments celebrating Confederate generals and other leaders. That stance and his claim that he was “Trump before Trump” allowed Stewart to handily win the Republican nomination for Senate this year.
But Stewart’s alignment with far-right figures, including a white nationalist who would go on to organize last year’s deadly march in Charlottesville, likely depressed his chances of statewide appeal. That’s particularly true since Virginia has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate for the last three cycles and is increasingly seen as a Democratic leaning state.
