U.S. House, North Carolina 5th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in North Carolina's 5th Congressional District?
Virginia Foxx has the strongest record in North Carolina's 5th Congressional District. Virginia Foxx scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Virginia Foxx's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Chuck Hubbard (7 of 15 criteria) and Robert Luffman (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Virginia Foxx
63 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 45
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 63
Democratic
Chuck Hubbard
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 63
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- NR
Libertarian
Robert Luffman
On the ballot as Robert B. Luffman
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Virginia Foxx
- On the record2025-10-20
NC Newsline reported she last held an in-person town hall in 2010 and her last telephone town hall in June 2015.
Source: NC Newsline, Oct. 20, 2025 (reprinted on ross.house.gov)
- On the record2021-01-07
Voted Nay on the objection to Arizona's certified electoral votes and Yea on the objection to Pennsylvania's on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
- On the record2021-06-29
Was fined under the House rule in H.Res. 73 in May 2021; the House Ethics Committee agreed to her appeal on June 29, 2021, overturning the fine.
- On the record2020-12-10
Was one of 126 House members who signed the amicus brief supporting Texas v. Pennsylvania, the suit to block four states' certified 2020 results.
Source: Texas v. Pennsylvania, amicus brief of 126 House members
- Credit2025
Became chair of the House Rules Committee in 2025 after chairing the Education and the Workforce Committee.
Sources: Foxx office site, biography, GovTrack, committee membership
- Credit2022-12-27
Sponsored H.R. 4250, the War Crimes Rewards Expansion Act, adding rewards for information on foreign nationals who committed genocide or war crimes; it was signed into law Dec. 27, 2022.
Chuck Hubbard
- On the record2026
Accepted the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce invitation to a recorded 2026 candidate interview, in which each candidate for an office is asked the same questions.
Source: Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, 2026 Watauga County Meet the Candidates Forum
- Credit2025
Held in-person town halls in Greensboro, Boone, Lenoir and Stokes County during 2025, according to NC Newsline.
Source: NC Newsline, Oct. 20, 2025 (reprinted on ross.house.gov)
- Credit2023
Worked for the Wilkes Journal-Patriot, the paper his grandfather founded, from age 16 and full time after college, a career of more than 40 years.
Sources: Yadkin Ripple, campaign launch, Campaign site, About
Robert Luffman
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Virginia Foxx. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed May 15, 2026. She trades individual stocks and files monthly transaction reports; none filed from 2023 to 2026 was past the 45-day deadline. No House Ethics finding or FEC fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076776, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20034895, FEC administrative fines search
Chuck Hubbard. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed April 23, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076079, FEC administrative fines search
Robert Luffman. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Virginia Foxx. Voted Nay on two 2025 bills that the Speaker, Majority Leader and Whip all supported: the Nutria Eradication and Control Reauthorization Act and the IMPACT Act.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 29, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 74, 2025
Chuck Hubbard. No public record found.
Robert Luffman. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Virginia Foxx. Accepted the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce 2026 candidate interview series. No 2026 debate record found; per NC Newsline she last held an in-person town hall in 2010.
Sources: Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, 2026 Watauga County Meet the Candidates Forum, NC Newsline, Oct. 20, 2025 (reprinted on ross.house.gov)
Chuck Hubbard. Held in-person town halls in Greensboro, Boone, Lenoir and Stokes County in 2025, per NC Newsline, and accepted the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce candidate interview series for 2026.
Sources: NC Newsline, Oct. 20, 2025 (reprinted on ross.house.gov), Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, 2026 Watauga County Meet the Candidates Forum
Robert Luffman. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Virginia Foxx. In public office since 1994, including 10 years in the state Senate and 21 years in Congress, with no censure, reprimand or House Ethics conduct finding. A 2021 House fine was overturned on appeal.
Sources: Foxx office site, biography, House Committee on Ethics statement, July 1, 2021
Chuck Hubbard. No public record found.
Robert Luffman. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Virginia Foxx. Voted Yea on the objection to Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 7, 2021 (Nay on Arizona) and signed the December 2020 House amicus brief in Texas v. Pennsylvania.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, Texas v. Pennsylvania, amicus brief of 126 House members
Chuck Hubbard. No public record found.
Robert Luffman. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Virginia Foxx. In the U.S. House since 2005 and the North Carolina Senate for 10 years before that; former president of Mayland Community College.
Sources: GovTrack, Virginia Foxx, Foxx office site, biography
Chuck Hubbard. Worked more than 40 years as a journalist at the Wilkes Journal-Patriot, the newspaper his grandfather founded, and has served on the boards of Wilkes community groups. Has not held public office.
Robert Luffman. Has worked more than 25 years as a truck driver in the transportation industry. Has not held public office.
Sources: Libertarian Party of North Carolina, candidate interview, Ballotpedia, Robert Luffman
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Virginia Foxx. Chairs the House Rules Committee since 2025 and previously chaired the Education and the Workforce Committee.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Foxx office site, biography
Chuck Hubbard. Publishes a platform on working families, public education, the economy and Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, Platform
Robert Luffman. Answered Ballotpedia's survey with positions on congressional term limits, immigration reform and marijuana legalization, in general terms.
Source: Ballotpedia, Robert Luffman
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Virginia Foxx. Publishes an e-newsletter (the Foxx Report) and issue pages and accepted the Boone chamber candidate interviews. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Foxx office site, home page, Foxx office site, district page, Ballotpedia, Virginia Foxx
Chuck Hubbard. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026, publishes a platform page and held town halls in 2025.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Chuck Hubbard, Campaign site, Platform, NC Newsline, Oct. 20, 2025 (reprinted on ross.house.gov)
Robert Luffman. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025 and gave a written interview to the state Libertarian Party.
Source: Ballotpedia, Robert Luffman
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Virginia Foxx. Served three terms on the Watauga County Board of Education; Watauga County is in the district. FEC by-state totals show about 49 percent of itemized individual contributions from North Carolina.
Sources: Foxx office site, biography, Foxx office site, Welcome to the 5th District, FEC contribution totals by state
Chuck Hubbard. A Wilkes County native who lives in Wilkesboro; Wilkes County is in the district. FEC by-state totals show about 76 percent of itemized individual contributions from North Carolina.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Yadkin Ripple, campaign launch, Foxx office site, Welcome to the 5th District, FEC contribution totals by state
Robert Luffman. Lives in Ronda, a Wilkes County town; Wilkes County is in the district.
Sources: Libertarian Party of North Carolina, candidate interview, WFAE, Oct. 7, 2026, Foxx office site, Welcome to the 5th District
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Virginia Foxx. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Chuck Hubbard. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Robert Luffman. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Virginia Foxx. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.975 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 2.451, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: her War Crimes Rewards Expansion Act was signed Dec. 27, 2022.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 4250 (117th Congress)
Chuck Hubbard. No public record found.
Robert Luffman. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Virginia Foxx. Missed 139 of 13,959 roll call votes, 1.0 percent, from January 2005 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Chuck Hubbard. No public record found.
Robert Luffman. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Virginia Foxx. Runs district offices in Boone and Mayodan open weekdays and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Foxx office site, district offices, Foxx office site, home page
Chuck Hubbard. No public record found.
Robert Luffman. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Virginia Foxx. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.63139 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 249 of 436, a negative score above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Chuck Hubbard. No public record found.
Robert Luffman. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Virginia Foxx. No public record found.
Chuck Hubbard. No public record found.
Robert Luffman. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in North Carolina's 5th Congressional District?
Virginia Foxx has the strongest record in North Carolina's 5th Congressional District. Virginia Foxx scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Virginia Foxx's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Chuck Hubbard (7 of 15 criteria) and Robert Luffman (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in North Carolina's 5th Congressional District in 2026?
Virginia Foxx (Republican, incumbent), Chuck Hubbard (Democratic), Robert Luffman (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Virginia Foxx a good candidate for Congress?
Virginia Foxx scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 45 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Chuck Hubbard a good candidate for Congress?
Chuck Hubbard has public evidence on 7 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Robert Luffman a good candidate for Congress?
Robert Luffman has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every North Carolina race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the North Carolina 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.