BY WESLEY P. HESTER

Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Timothy M. Kaine’s campaign shot back after last night’s second GOP debate, in which he was criticized by all candidates, especially front-runner and former Gov. George Allen.

Small business was the topic of the debate in Virginia Beach, which also touched on military affairs, which are of much interest to the Hampton Roads region.  

Kaine spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine said that Kaine offered a superior vision for both.

“Tim Kaine will increase access to capital and workforce training to help small businesses grow and hire, while the Republicans advocate deep cuts that will choke-off small business investments and eliminate tax breaks that help small businesses provide health care for their employees,” Hoffine said.

“The Republican all-cuts approach would not only leave programs like TRICARE, veterans job training, and national defense vulnerable, but their gridlock politics will fundamentally jeopardize military preparedness and economic growth,” she added.

She added that Kaine supports significant spending cuts as well as investments to “ensure our federal budget gets thinner without making our nation weaker.”

Read about the debate here.