Politics & Government

Kaine Talks Small Business, Equal Rights With Falls Church Vietnamese Community

The former governor holds roundtable discussion Wednesday on campaign tour.

Senate candidate Tim Kaine’s campaign rolled into Falls Church Wednesday for an economic roundtable with the Vietnamese community.

Kaine met with business leaders at the and discussed small businesses and equal rights in the Vietnamese community. Some of the business leaders brought up the at the Eden Center conducted by the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force that saw some people arrested and charged with illegal gambling only to be . Kaine (D) said he is learning more about the raid and knows how some factors can effect small businesses.

“Some times there can be concerns that in some instances that there was a misunderstanding or miscommunication,” Kaine said of the possible language barrier between police officers and the alleged gamblers the day of the raid.

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Kaine has held other economic roundtables in Winchester, Roanoke, Hampton Roads, and Richmond. Some of the meetings have been arranged through some of Virginia’s ethnic chambers of commerce with general business owners. Binh Nguyen, president of the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Washington, D.C. said it’s good Kaine is reaching out to small businesses especially those in minority communities. He said he is hopeful the dialogue with Kaine will continue.

More than 50 people gathered inside the Wednesday to hear Kaine’s message. He said he is a believer that Virginia is stronger because of the people who have come from around the world and made the commonwealth their home. He said several government contractors and other businesses have moved their headquarters to Virginia in recent years because of the talent pool they have to pick from. Kaine said it’s not only the people born in Virginia, but also those who moved to the commonwealth that have enhanced that pool of prospective employees.

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“There’s no such thing as a real Virginian or a real American,” Kaine told the room of business leaders. “We’re all Virginians and Americans.”


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