Chuck Hubbard

CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

What experience, knowledge and personal qualities prepare you for this office? Cite specific evidence from your public, professional or community record.

I spent 40 years at the Wilkes Journal Patriot as either a reporter or a publisher. During this time, I reported the facts and got to the bottom of stories. Through this experience and my local roots, I’m the best person to represent this district. For the last 20 years, I saw how Virginia Foxx harmed our community by tearing down public education and workplace protections as the Chair of the Committee of Education and the Workforce. Now, as the Rules Committee Chair, she has led the charge to fight against the release of the full Epstein files and was responsible for pushing through the Big Beautiful Bill which has cost millions their life-saving healthcare.

I have also served as a board member for the Wilkes Recovery Revolution, a member of the Wilkes Child Abuse Prevention Team, and a member of the Wilkes Prison Ministry.

Where do you believe you would bring a different approach from the other candidates?

I believe in working with my community and being open to having those tough conversations. If I can’t have a conversation with a farmer from Ashe County the same day I talk to a public school teacher from Oak Ridge and work to address both of their concerns, I shouldn’t be in Congress. I’m open to listening and using those conversations to make changes here at home. I’d ask that people come to me with open minds and let me know how the government can best serve them.

What are the two most important challenges this office will face during the next term, and what specific actions within the office's actual authority would you take to address them?

The two most important challenges this office will face during the next term is fixing what isn’t being addressed now. First, we need to address issues facing our working class, such as rising costs and low-paying jobs. We can do this by supporting legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which helped NC receive investment funds that created jobs across the counties in the 5th district. Next, we need to tackle corruption in Washington. I will support a ban on members of Congress trading stocks and support a full release of the Epstein Files so we can return transparency to Washington and trust that representatives aren't using the position for financial gain.

What measurable standards or benchmarks should voters use to judge your performance, and how will you keep the public informed about your decisions and progress?

I would like voters to keep in mind that over the course of this campaign, we have held town hall meetings all over the district. I’ve made it a point to show up and create a space that is open to everyone regardless of their political affiliation. Furthermore, this campaign has been funded 100% by individuals, not by big corporations, PACs, or special interest groups. In contrast, my opponent has taken the majority of her campaign donations from big corporations and groups like AIPAC all while never hosting a public, open forum event here in the district to speak with constituents.

What federal policy or budget decision during the next term is likely to have the greatest effect on Burke and Caldwell counties, and what specific action would you pursue?

The federal government's plans for the coming term regarding FEMA funding, together with severe reductions in Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP, pose a direct threat to the citizens of Caldwell County. Although politicians in Washington boast about enacting 'big, beautiful bills', these large-scale measures conceal reckless cuts that will undermine food assistance for 11,000 people and put healthcare at risk for working families in the areas from Lenoir to Granite Falls. Should I be elected to represent the 5th District, I will work to prevent these cuts, stand up for our seniors who spent many years in our furniture mills, and get FEMA to provide transparent and direct aid. What we need is practical help that repairs our roads and ensures our local clinics remain open and not political showmanship that cuts into our rural essential services.

Name one federal program or expenditure you would increase and one you would reduce or hold flat. How would those choices affect taxpayers, the deficit and this region?

To directly reverse the economic damage inflicted on Caldwell County by Washington's latest policies, I plan to fully restore Social Security safety net spending levels, while holding flat non-defense discretionary agency overhead. This action directly repairs the severe harm caused by the "beautiful bill" and will immediately reduce the deep financial pain inflicted across our entire community by the Trump administration’s illegal tariffs, which have spiked the cost of everyday goods. By stabilizing these vital lifelines, we will deliver direct support to every working family, young professional, and retiree from Lenoir to Granite Falls who has been hardest hit by out-of-control inflation fueled by those devastating tariffs and the entirely unnecessary war with Iran.

Hubbard aspires to "shift the tax base to more rich people and wealth (sic) corporations," create "good-paying jobs and opportunities for our children" and "provide a government option that can be used to support health care infrastructure in rural areas."

In an interview with Left of Old North, he said public education "is the most important instrument toward moving the society ahead" and that he wants to fix the "Department of Public Education.”