Hung Cao, who lost to Sen. Tim Kaine in November, will serve as Under Secretary of the Navy following his appointment by President Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump on Thursday appointed former Virginia Senate candidate Hung Cao to serve as Under Secretary of the Navy, making the special operations veteran the second-ranking civilian leader for the service.

Hung Cao, a former Virginia Republican Senate candidate, was nominated by President Donald Trump on Thursday as under secretary of the U.S. Navy. Cao, who Trump described as the “embodiment of the American Dream,” will have to be approved by the Senate to assume the role, New York Post reported Friday.