Last Updated on November 10, 2026 5:32 pm
The race between Rep. Virginia Foxx and Democrat Chuck Hubbard in North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District remained separated by fewer than 100 votes Tuesday as counties added provisional ballots, and the lead has changed hands more than once since Election Night.
The N.C. State Board of Elections’ results site showed Foxx ahead by 38 votes at 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, with all 230 precincts reporting. Unofficial tallies that also include Watauga County’s provisional ballots, which the county elections board counted at its Tuesday meeting, show Hubbard back in front by 91 votes. Those Watauga figures had not yet appeared on the State Board’s site at 5:20 p.m.
District 5 totals
| Source | Chuck Hubbard (D) | Virginia Foxx (R) | Robert Luffman (L) | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election Night, Nov. 3 (NCSBE) | 139,034 (48.70%) | 138,935 (48.66%) | 7,529 (2.64%) | Hubbard +99 |
| NCSBE results site, 5:20 p.m. Nov. 10 | 139,168 (48.67%) | 139,206 (48.69%) | 7,556 (2.64%) | Foxx +38 |
| Unofficial tally including Watauga provisionals* | 139,354 | 139,263 | 7,568 | Hubbard +91 |
*Not yet posted to the State Board of Elections’ site as of 5:20 p.m. Results are unofficial until counties certify them.
What changed Tuesday
Ashe County updated its results at 2:26 p.m., adding about 41 ballots. Foxx now has 7,244 votes (61.29%) in Ashe County to Hubbard’s 4,187 (35.42%). Watauga County’s totals on the State Board site had not changed since Election Night as of 5:20 p.m.; the county board met Tuesday at 1 p.m. to approve or reject provisional ballots.
How many ballots are left
Up to 3,130 provisional ballots were cast across the district’s counties, according to reported figures, though not all will be counted. Guilford County, only part of which is in the 5th District, had 1,606 provisional ballots, so the number that apply to this race is smaller. Watauga County had 344, and Wilkes County had 127, with 76 unofficially accepted as of Monday. Each county board decides which provisional ballots count.
What the candidates have said
In a statement released Nov. 4, Foxx said the counting process “has not ended under state law” and that military and provisional ballots remained to be counted. She also said more than 1,000 provisional ballots were cast in this contest two years ago and that Republicans netted a total that would eclipse the margin at the time. That figure is her campaign’s claim, and WataugaOnline has not independently verified it. Foxx announced Nov. 6 that congressional election observers would be present in the district at her request.
Hubbard’s campaign said in a statement that he “holds a 99-vote lead” and that the race left “room for a recount.” Hubbard said he trusts the Board of Elections to complete its work correctly and fairly and that “we will have to fight for this seat.”
What happens next
County boards of elections hold their official canvass on Friday, Nov. 13, when counties certify their results. State law allows a candidate trailing by 1 percent or less to request a recount in writing to the State Board of Elections after the canvass. The first step would be a full machine recount. If that does not change the outcome, the trailing candidate would have 24 hours to request a hand-to-eye recount of a random 3 percent sample of precincts, with a full hand recount of the district if the sample shows enough discrepancies to reverse the result, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
WataugaOnline will update this story as counties report. For every race in Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties, see our 2026 general election results page.
Source: N.C. State Board of Elections.
