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Longtime Virginia politician Tim Kaine has secured his third term in the U.S. Senate.

Our results partner Decision Desk HQ expected Kaine, a Democrat, to defeat Republican challenger Hung Cao around 8 p.m. Tuesday night.

A native of Richmond, Kaine has held several positions in Virginia over the past three decades, including mayor of Richmond and governor. He was Hillary Clinton's vice presidential running mate in her 2016 presidential run.

Cao came to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam and served in the Navy for 25 years. This was his first time in a statewide race: he ran for Congress in Northern Virginia in 2022 but lost.

Watch: Cost of living, military, port strike among topics during debate between Cao and Kaine

Cost of living, military, port strike are among the topics during the debate between Cao and Kaine

Although Kaine's seat will remain blue, the GOP appears poised to wrest control of the Senate from Democrats, who currently hold a slim majority.

With 34 Senate seats up for grabs in this election, the GOP only has to give up one of the Democrats' 23 seats – including the seat vacated by Sen. Joe Manchin, which was already won by Republican Jim Justice. Republicans are likely to secure a majority in the upper house, Scripps News and Decision Desk HQ fear.