Virginia Foxx

Virginia Foxx Bio

Virginia Ann Foxx (née Palmieri; born June 29, 1943) is an American politician, businesswoman, and educator serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina’s 5th congressional district since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, she has held several senior leadership posts in Congress, including chair of the House Rules Committee since 2025 and Secretary of the House Republican Conference from 2013 to 2016. Foxx is also known for her long tenure on the House Committee on Education and Labor, which she chaired from 2017 to 2019 and again from 2023 to 2025.

Early Life and Background

Virginia Ann Palmieri was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City on June 29, 1943, to Dollie (née Garrison) and Nunzio John Palmieri. Her father was a painter and paperhanger who also worked as a hairdresser and construction worker, while her mother held a range of odd jobs, including work in restaurants, as a hotel maid, and as a weaver. The family later moved near Linville Falls, North Carolina, when she was six years old.

Foxx grew up in a poor household and did not live in a home with running water and electricity until she was 14. Although baptized Catholic, her family attended a Baptist church because there was no Catholic church nearby. She attended Crossnore High School in Crossnore, North Carolina, where she worked as a janitor and was the first member of her family to graduate from high school.

Path to US Politics

After high school, Foxx briefly returned to New York City, where she worked as a typist and lived with family in the Bronx. She then moved back to North Carolina to continue her education, initially at Appalachian State University. At age 20, she married Thomas Foxx, with whom she had a daughter, and together they later owned and operated a nursery and landscaping business.

Foxx earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1968, followed by a Master of Arts in college teaching in 1972 and a Doctor of Education in 1985, both from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She worked as a research assistant and an English instructor at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute and Appalachian State University before moving into higher education administration. From 1987 until her entry into politics in 1994, she served as president of Mayland Community College, and under North Carolina Governor James G. Martin she served as Deputy Secretary for Management.

Virginia Foxx Career

Early Career (1994–2004)

Foxx began her political career in the North Carolina Senate in 1994, representing her district for a decade. During that period, she built a record as a conservative Republican focused on education and workforce issues, drawing on her background as a community college president.

Her decade in the state legislature established her as a leading voice on higher education policy in North Carolina and set the stage for her run for federal office in 2004.

U.S. House Breakthrough (2005–2012)

Foxx was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004, defeating Democrat Jim Harrell Jr. with 59 percent of the vote, and she has represented North Carolina’s 5th congressional district since January 2005. Her district covers much of the rural northwestern portion of the state, including the majority of Greensboro.

She was briefly targeted by Democrats in 2006, but after Winston-Salem mayor Allen Joines declined to run, she defeated Roger Sharpe. In 2008, she won a substantial margin over Roy Carter of Ashe County, and in 2010 she was reelected with about 65 percent of the vote. In 2013, she was elected Secretary of the House Republican Conference, a leadership post she held until 2016.

Education Committee Leadership (2017–2024)

Foxx served as chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor from 2017 to 2019, then as its ranking member from 2019 to 2023, and again as chair from 2023 to 2025. In these roles, she shaped federal policy on workforce development, higher education, and labor issues, often working across the aisle on community college and apprenticeship programs.

She was reelected repeatedly during this period, winning about 60 percent in 2014, about 59 percent in 2016, and 57 percent in 2018 against DD Adams. In 2020, she defeated Democrat David Brown with more than 66 percent of the vote, and in 2022, she won the redrawn 5th district over Democrat Kyle Parrish by 63.2 to 36.8 percent.

Rules Committee Chair Era (2025–Present)

Beginning in the 119th Congress in January 2025, Foxx became chair of the House Rules Committee, the panel that sets the terms for floor debate on most major legislation. Since January 2025, she has also served as the dean of North Carolina’s congressional delegation, a position she previously shared with Representative Patrick McHenry until his retirement.

Notable Events and Milestones

Foxx drew national attention in May 2021 when she became the fifth Republican representative fined for evading new metal detectors outside the House chamber following the January 6 Capitol attack. In October 2023, she was widely scrutinized for telling a reporter to “go away” and “shut up” during a Republican press conference for then-House speaker nominee Mike Johnson.

Virginia Foxx Political Record

Foxx has built a lengthy record of electoral success in North Carolina’s 5th congressional district, winning every election since her initial 2004 victory by comfortable margins.

U.S. House Election Highlights

Foxx’s first win came in 2004, when she defeated Jim Harrell Jr. with 59 percent of the vote. She has since won reelections in 2010 (about 65 percent), 2014 (about 60 percent), 2016 (about 59 percent), 2018 (57 percent), 2020 (more than 66 percent), and 2022 (63.2 percent), consistently outperforming her Democratic challengers.

Other Achievements and Roles

Before her time in the U.S. House, Foxx served a decade in the North Carolina Senate from 1994 to 2004. She has also held senior House Republican leadership posts, including Secretary of the House Republican Conference from 2013 to 2016 and chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor from 2017 to 2019 and again from 2023 to 2025.

Virginia Foxx Family

Family Background and Personal Background

Foxx was raised in a working-class family in New York and later North Carolina, where her parents held a variety of jobs to make ends meet. She was the first in her family to graduate from high school, a milestone that helped launch her long career in education and public service.

Personal Life

Foxx married Thomas Foxx in 1963, and the couple have a daughter together. Foxx is Catholic, and her former son-in-law, Mustafa Özdemir, is a Turkish businessman.