Virginia Foxx
Virginia Foxx, a Republican who has represented North Carolina's 5th congressional district since 2005 and chairs the House Rules Committee, seeks re-election in 2026 against Democrat Chuck Hubbard, a retired newspaper reporter.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Virginia Foxx.
- Born
- June 29, 1943
- Birthplace
- Manhattan, New York City
- Education
- Crossnore High School
Appalachian State University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Bachelor of Arts, 1968)
University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Master of Arts in college teaching, 1972; Doctor of Education, 1985)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Virginia Foxx was born Virginia Ann Palmieri in the Manhattan borough of New York City on June 29, 1943, to Dollie and Nunzio John Palmieri.
Her family moved near Linville Falls, North Carolina, when she was 6, and she grew up in a poor household, first living in a home with running water and electricity at age 14.
She attended Crossnore High School, where she worked as a janitor, and became the first member of her family to graduate from high school.
After a period working as a typist in New York City, Foxx returned to North Carolina, studied first at Appalachian State University, and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in 1968.
She later earned a Master of Arts in college teaching in 1972 and a Doctor of Education in 1985 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Career
Virginia Foxx joined Appalachian State University as a sociology professor in 1972 and later served there as director of the Upward Bound Program and assistant dean of the general college.
She was elected to the Watauga County Board of Education in 1976, served as assistant secretary of the North Carolina Department of Administration from 1985 to 1986, and was president of Mayland Community College from 1987 to 1993. Foxx served in the North Carolina Senate from 1994 to 2004.
With her husband, Thomas Foxx, she also owned and operated a nursery and landscaping business.
Foxx was first elected to the U.S. House in 2004, defeating Jim Harrell Jr. with 59% of the vote. She was Secretary of the House Republican Conference from 2013 to 2016, chaired the Committee on Education and Labor from 2017 to 2019 and from 2023 to 2025, and was its ranking member from 2019 to 2023. Since 2025 she has chaired the House Rules Committee, and since January 2025 she has been the dean of North Carolina's congressional delegation.
2026 race
The 5th district includes all of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, and Wilkes counties and portions of Guilford County. Virginia Foxx, the Republican incumbent, was re-elected there in 2024 with 59.5% of the vote.
She won the 2026 Republican primary with 74.5% of the vote against business owner Joey Osborne, adjunct professor Steve Girard, and home inspector Chad Williams.
In the general election on November 3, 2026, Foxx faces Democrat Chuck Hubbard, a retired newspaper reporter and the party's 2024 nominee for the district, and Libertarian Robert Luffman, a truck driver.