Democrat senator faces heavy blowback after challenging key tenet of Declaration of Independence

Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine's view of the Declaration of Independence, which has received strong criticism from Republicans, runs contrary to recent polling on the subject of individual rights.

"The notion that rights don’t come from laws and don’t come from the government, but come from the Creator — that’s what the Iranian government believes. It’s a theocratic regime that bases its rule on Sharia law and targets Sunnis, Bahá’ís, Jews, Christians and other religious minorities," Kaine declared at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday.

"They do it because they believe that they understand what natural rights are from their Creator. So, the statement that our rights do not come from our laws or our governments is extremely troubling," he added.

Kaine's comments run against Americans' belief in natural rights 

Kaine's comments went viral on social media and sparked criticism from conservatives. "If believing rights come from a higher power is 'troubling,' then Kaine’s quarrel isn’t with Ted Cruz. It’s with Jefferson, Madison, the Declaration, and America herself," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote on X. 

Riley Barnes, President Trump's nominee for assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, said at the hearing that he shared the same view as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who recently said the U.S. was founded on the principle "that all men are created equal because our rights come from God, our Creator; not from our laws, not from our governments."

In a Napolitan News poll conducted by Scott Rasmussen from June 17 to 18 of last year, 78% of voters said individuals have "natural rights" that cannot be taken away by the government, while just 15% said individual rights come from the government. 

Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, also reacted to Kaine's comments, saying "Tim Kaine should remember the very state he represents gave us Thomas Jefferson who put it simply when he penned these words in the Declaration of Independence: 'unalienable rights endowed by their creator.' Today’s Democrats want us to be wholly dependent government so they can control us," she wrote on X. "Our rights are GOD-GIVEN, and as your voice in Congress, I will always fight to protect them!"

Kaine has endorsed former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., in the competitive governor's race against Winsome Sears, lieutenant governor of the Old Dominion.

It remains to be seen if Spanberger will distance herself from Kaine's controversial statements about the Declaration of Independence or instead expresses a similar view. She has yet to comment on the backlash Kaine has received.