The stage is set: incumbent Rep. Virginia Foxx will face challenger Josh Brannon following Brannon’s win in Tuesday’s primary runoff.
Obviously a different situation than in the 6th District, where two newcomers Mark Walker and Laura Fjeld will do battle. Foxx not only has the incumbent’s advantage in a heavily Republican district, but she has the money backing her up:
Foxx has dominated 5th District races for the past decade and has a $2.1 million campaign war chest to boot.
The Federal Election Commission did not display any campaign finance reports for Brannon as of Thursday afternoon. Brannon said he did not pass the $5,000 campaign finance threshold in April. The second quarterly report was due July 15.
So why would a 37-year-old software developer from Watauga County – a first-time candidate with limited campaign resources – choose to take on Foxx?
Brannon said the country is being sold off and he hates to see that happen.
“I’m running on one thing and one thing only, and that’s taking our democracy back from the 1 percent,” Brannon said after winning the runoff Tuesday night.
And of course that would mean getting money out of politics as well.