Virginia U.S. Senate candidate Hung Cao says workplace diversity is ‘Marxism’

Hung Cao, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Virginia, has repeatedly attacked efforts to increase workplace diversity. Despite this, Cao holds a top position at a company that actively promotes diversity and inclusion.

Cao, a former navy officer, was hired by CACI International in 2021. The company is a federal contractor that provides IT services to the U.S. government and its agencies. Cao initially held the title of Solutions Architect before becoming Vice President of the navy and marine corps division in Jan. 2023. 

CACI International’s website has a page dedicated to its diversity and inclusion policy.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are woven into the fabric of CACI’s culture where people bring their genuine selves to work, feel inspired about CACI’s mission, and are passionate about making a difference for our people, customers, and the community,” the page says. “Embracing diversity, advancing equity and fostering inclusion enables our people to unleash their full potential and appreciate a richness of differences.”

At a Sept. 2022 campaign rally, Cao compared DEI programs to Marxism.

“When I came back from the battlefields, there’s this old enemy that crept in,” Cao said. “And I know that enemy, I know it from many names. The enemy goes by socialism, Marxism, communism, and now it disguises itself by calling itself equity. It goes against the very fabric of our country, and I will not stand for it.”

Cao made a similar statement at an April 2022 fundraiser.

“This is a great, great country, and we have great people and they try to tear us apart with ideas like equity,” Cao said. “Equity is not the same as equality. We’re taking away meritocracy.”

DEI programs have become a popular scapegoat for Republicans in recent years. Republicans have blamed everything from plane accidents to Red Lobster filing for bankruptcy on DEI, typically without providing evidence to support their claims. Cao has participated in this trend.

On March 26, a container ship lost power and collided with one of the piers of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The bridge collapsed and six construction workers were killed. A few hours later, Cao appeared on a talk radio program where he agreed with the host’s assertion that DEI efforts at the Department of Transportation were responsible for the disaster. 

In March 2023, Silicon Valley Bank nearly shut down as a result of excessive lending practices. Cao penned an op-ed for the Washington Examiner asserting that the bank’s focus on DEI was one reason for its collapse.

“​​As we peel back the onion to determine the ‘root cause,’ one underlying issue emerges; the rise of woke ideology instead of meritocracy …” Cao wrote. “Instead of hiring a Chief Risk Officer, SVB left the position open for nearly a year and focused on hiring a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer. SVB’s focus was on visibility days and awareness weeks instead of fulfilling the requirements of their investors, who saw the writing on the wall and pulled out their money.”

Cao’s campaign was endorsed by former President Donald Trump on June 2. If Cao secures the Republican nomination he will face incumbent Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in November. The Republican primary is scheduled for June 18. 

A Cao spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.