Who's running in North Carolina's 5th congressional district
4 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
4 candidates · ballot order · Virginia Foxx currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Supports shared conservative values.
Says she fights for hardworking people of North Carolina.
Says she works to rein in wasteful spending.
Says she encourages economic growth.
Says she strengthens national security.
Says important solutions should come from North Carolina rather than Washington insiders.
Says she supported the SKILLS Act, the Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act, and the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Member of the U.S. House representing North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District.
First elected to Congress in 2004.
Current Chair of the House Rules Committee.
Previously chaired the House Committee on Education and the Workforce / Education and Labor.
Served a decade in the North Carolina Senate before Congress.
FEC records show her authorized committee, Virginia Foxx for Congress, reported $1,662,603.66 in receipts and $1,204,803.60 in disbursements for 01/01/2025 to 06/30/2026, with $3,369,068.64 cash on hand.
FEC records identify her as the Republican incumbent for North Carolina House District 5.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
Virginia Foxx is a dangerous extremist who has sparked controversy and promoted corruption throughout her career.
— Chuck Hubbard for Congress campaign website
She championed corporate lobbyists’ positions and worked to dismantle public education and workforce protections while chairing the House Committee on Education and Labor.
— Chuck Hubbard for Congress campaign website
As chair of the House Rules Committee, she is seeking to enrich herself and her corporate backers while promoting a dangerous agenda of hate.
— Chuck Hubbard for Congress campaign website
She directly blocked the Epstein files from being released to the public and voted four times to block their release.
— Chuck Hubbard for Congress campaign website
She objected to the certification of electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election.
— Chuck Hubbard for Congress campaign website
She fought against a $7.25 minimum wage and against increases.
— Chuck Hubbard for Congress campaign website
She voted against the aid package to victims of Hurricane Katrina.
— Chuck Hubbard for Congress campaign website
She opposed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and claimed the murder was not a hate crime, later calling it a hoax before retracting the statement.
— Chuck Hubbard for Congress campaign website
She voted against the Respect for Marriage Act.
— Chuck Hubbard for Congress campaign website
She received scores of 0 consistently from the Human Rights Campaign.
— Chuck Hubbard for Congress campaign website
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Virginia Foxx was found in the FEC or Smarter.Vote sources reviewed; the criticism included here comes from the Chuck Hubbard for Congress campaign site.
The reviewed sources do not establish her current district-specific policy positions beyond the statements on her campaign website.
The reviewed sources do not show any endorsed or published attacks from other named individuals or organizations beyond the Hubbard campaign site.
Although the FEC identifies her committee finances, the sources reviewed do not explain the purposes of specific expenditures in detail.
Breaking away from the two-party system and putting “people before party”
Congressional term limits; he says he would seek no more than five House terms and support a constitutional amendment to impose term limits
Nationwide cannabis legalization
Expungement of prior convictions for simple cannabis possession
Reducing federal bureaucracy and limiting government power, including executive and congressional power
Infrastructure investment, especially roads and bridges
Rejecting reliance on big corporations, foreign governments, lobbies, and special interests
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
No held public office or roll-call voting record was found in the provided sources.
The sources identify him as the Libertarian candidate for North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District in the 2026 election.
The sources describe him as a longtime transportation industry worker and long-haul truck driver with over 1 million safe miles.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Robert Luffman was found in the sources reviewed.
The provided sources do not include detailed positions on many major campaign issues such as health care, taxes, abortion, immigration, education, or foreign policy beyond general comments about limiting government.
The provided sources do not show any prior elected office, legislative service, or documented votes.
Says he wants to fight government corruption and call out corruption.
Says he supports veterans’ care.
Says he supports patient privacy and protections for healthcare.
Says he supports protections and expansion for Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare.
Says he supports safer streets.
Campaign materials say he runs on government ethics, veterans’ care, housing affordability, workers’ rights, and reducing the influence of money in politics.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 on 04/21/2025.
FEC lists him as a challenger and an Independent candidate for the 2026 election in North Carolina House District 5.
FEC records show his authorized campaign committee is DAVID CLAYTON FOR CONGRESS.
North Carolina State Board of Elections candidate lists page includes him among 2026 general election candidates for the contest.
FEC reports his committee had raised $70,466.05 and spent $59,937.76 during 04/01/2025 to 06/30/2026.
Arguments in favor
David Clayton has an independent voice and “got amazing ideas for ACTUAL fiscal conservatism,” according to a profile written by Kate Powell.
— Kate Powell, MPA, CFRE (Substack post ‘Candidates of Our Dreams: David Clayton (NC-05)’)
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of David Clayton was found in the sources reviewed.
The sources reviewed do not provide detailed issue-by-issue policy positions beyond the broad themes listed above.
The sources reviewed do not confirm whether his 2026 general-election ballot status was final at the time of the documents.
The sources reviewed do not provide a full biography beyond the limited details cited in the documents.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Ballot roster established from the NCSBE 2026 candidate lists, the March 3, 2026 primary results, and FEC candidate pages. The November 2026 NC-05 ballot appears to include Virginia Foxx (R), Chuck Hubbard (D), Robert Luffman (L), and David Clayton (I). Some candidate sets are incomplete on criticism/support coverage, especially for minor/independent candidates where by-name critical coverage is sparse.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A North Carolina ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at North Carolina State Board of Elections.