Former DeSantis adviser launches Senate bid to challenge Kaine in Virginia

A former adviser to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) launched a bid on Monday to challenge Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in the 2024 election.

Scott Parkinson, who currently serves as vice president of government affairs at the prominent conservative advocacy organization Club for Growth, was DeSantis’s chief of staff near the end of the Florida governor’s stint in Congress.

“Over the last three years, politicians like Tim Kaine and Joe Biden have ignored the middle class,” Parkinson said in a campaign video released on Monday. “Inflation has skyrocketed, parents have been locked out of classrooms and crime rates remain at record highs.”

“I’m running for Senate because it’s time for new conservative leaders to fight back against career politicians like Tim Kaine,” he added in a tweet.

Kaine announced in January that he would seek a third term in the Senate, providing Democrats with some sense of relief as they face down a tough map in 2024.

However, Senate Republicans have previously said they still view Kaine’s Virginia seat as a potential pickup.

“Virginians have shown they’re willing to vote Republican with the right candidate and the right political environment,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Maggie Abboud said following Kaine’s announcement. “We’re going to keep a close eye on Virginia and focus on recruiting a strong candidate who can raise the resources necessary to compete.”