Last Updated on November 4, 2026 1:07 pm
Rep. Virginia Foxx said Wednesday that the counting process in North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District “has not ended under state law,” as unofficial results from the N.C. State Board of Elections show Democrat Chuck Hubbard ahead by 99 votes with every precinct reporting.
Hubbard has 139,034 votes (48.70%) to Foxx’s 138,935 (48.66%), according to the unofficial results. Libertarian Robert Luffman has 7,529 (2.64%). The margin is about 0.03 percentage points of the roughly 285,000 votes cast in the race.
| Area | Chuck Hubbard (D) | Virginia Foxx (R) | Robert Luffman (L) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watauga (20 of 20 precincts) | 14,802 (62.40%) | 8,258 (34.81%) | 661 (2.79%) |
| Ashe (17 of 17 precincts) | 4,171 (35.41%) | 7,224 (61.33%) | 384 (3.26%) |
| All of District 5 (230 of 230 precincts) | 139,034 (48.70%) | 138,935 (48.66%) | 7,529 (2.64%) |
Results are unofficial until county boards of elections certify them. Source: N.C. State Board of Elections.
What Foxx said
In a statement released Nov. 4 by her campaign, Foxx thanked voters and said free and fair elections are “a cornerstone of our healthy republic.” She said military ballots may still be outstanding and provisional ballots must still be counted, and that she expects the counting process to stretch into next week.
Foxx 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 current margin. That figure is her campaign’s claim, and WataugaOnline has not independently verified it.
She said she expects local election officials to act “with the utmost integrity” as the final votes are tallied, and promised to keep working for the district while the complete results are awaited.
What Hubbard said
Hubbard’s campaign said in a statement that he “holds a 99-vote lead” over Foxx, “leaving room for a recount.” Hubbard said he is proud to have been selected by his neighbors and looks forward to getting to work on fighting corruption, bringing Hurricane Helene recovery back to the district and lowering costs for working people.
He also said the narrow margin means “we will have to fight for this seat,” and that he trusts the Board of Elections to complete its work correctly and fairly.
Provisional ballots and what happens next
The Watauga County Board of Elections is reviewing about 344 provisional ballots, roughly 144 of them from the Appalachian State University polling site. The Watauga board meets Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. to approve or reject provisional ballots and that the county canvass is Nov. 13. Other counties in the district may also have provisional and mail ballots outstanding.
With the margin under 1 percent, the race could be subject to a recount, according to the Winston-Salem Journal. The Journal reported that a recount request must be made in writing to the N.C. State Board of Elections by noon on the second business day after the county 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, and a full hand-to-eye recount of the district would follow if the sample showed discrepancies large enough to reverse the result. Results are not final until counties complete their canvass and the results are certified.
WataugaOnline will update this story as counties report. For every race in Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties, see our 2026 general election results page.
