On the campaign trail, defense spending fights and confusion

Defense News: During a candidate forum Wednesday night, Republican Senate hopeful Corey Stewart attacked incumbent Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine for voting against a military pay raise and a military housing allowance.

One problem: There was never a direct vote on those issues. But in election season, military-themed attacks often are as fierce as the war fighters themselves, and neither party has a monopoly on them.

Stewart’s claim to the crowd at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia — that Kaine “voted against House Resolution 195, which was the president’s budget” — has already been debunked by the nonpartisan fact-checking website Politifact in recent months.

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