Who's In the Race

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) faces Democrat Chuck Hubbard and Libertarian Robert Luffman in the November 3 general election in North Carolina's 5th District. ​

Foxx has represented the district since 2005 and currently chairs the House Committee on Rules. She won the March 3 Republican primary with about 75 percent of the vote; Joey Osborne was the runner-up.

Hubbard is a former reporter and publisher who spent more than 40 years at the Wilkes Journal-Patriot, a Wilkes County native and Wofford College graduate. He won the March 3 Democratic primary with about 57 percent of the vote over Kyah Creekmore, a margin of roughly 13 percentage points. Luffman says he has worked in the transportation industry for 25 years and holds a 14-year, million-mile safe driving record.

What They Stand For

Foxx has supported making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, saying they helped create jobs and reduce tax burdens, according to her official House website. She's also supported:

  • Patient-centered health care reforms, including health savings accounts, telehealth and direct primary care, to lower costs and expand choices,
  • Abundant, affordable energy, opposing renewable-energy mandates and backing streamlined permitting for infrastructure and energy development,
  • Reducing federal spending and increasing government oversight and accountability; and
  • Making the 2017 tax cuts permanent to sustain job creation and paycheck growth.

Hubbard has proposed raising the minimum wage and shifting more of the tax burden to wealthy people and corporations, according to his campaign website. He's also supported:

  • Federal investment in public education, including support for teachers and school infrastructure,
  • A government health-care option to support rural health infrastructure and keep prices down, saying "nobody should have to worry about paying enormous medical bills,"; and
  • Protecting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security from cuts, overturning Citizens United and banning members of Congress from trading stocks.

Luffman has called for reducing the size of the federal government to expand individual freedoms, ending congressional insider trading and foreign monetary influence in elections, and supporting term limits, according to a News & Observer candidate questionnaire.

The Money Behind the Race

Through June 30, Foxx had raised about $1.66 million and held about $3.37 million in cash on hand, roughly 34 times as much as Hubbard, who had raised about $395,000 and had about $99,800 on hand.

Foxx had nearly $3.4 million in cash on hand as of June 30, 2026, about twice her total receipts of nearly $1.7 million. Outside groups have spent about $340,000 opposing Foxx, all of it from AB PAC, which has also filed notices for about $35,500 in pending spending to support Hubbard.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

All three major race-rating services call this a safe Republican seat. Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Republican as of Oct. 19; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Solid Republican as of Oct. 11; and Inside Elections rated it Solid Republican as of Oct. 2.

On Kalshi, traders gave Republicans, whose nominee is Foxx, an 88.24 percent chance of winning as of Oct. 20; Democrats, whose nominee is Hubbard, stood at 11.76 percent.

The district's recent history supports that lean. Foxx carried the district with about 59 percent of the vote in 2024 and about 63 percent in 2022, though her vote share slipped about four percentage points between those two cycles.

Republicans won seven of the state's 14 U.S. House seats in 2022, and Democrats won the other seven. Donald Trump carried North Carolina in the 2024 presidential election with about 51 percent of the vote.

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