As he stood on the stage in Richmond’s Hippodrome Theater on Tuesday in Jackson Ward, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va, reflected on how he knocked on doors of homes in the area during his first political campaign 30 years ago.

It’s Richmond that he returns to when not on Capitol Hill and it is where he wanted to formally launch his reelection campaign.

Now, the longtime lawmaker is vying for reelection amid the backdrop of a highly contentious presidential electionconflicts abroad and the ever-shifting national landscape around reproductive health care and abortion access.

Seven Republicans will compete in a June 18 primary for the right to take on Kaine in November.

Read the full story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.