Rep. Valerie Foushee earned re-election Tuesday night to the U.S. House of Representatives, based on early vote totals across the four counties she currently represents.

Foushee, a Democrat who lives in Hillsborough, earned 73.48% of the initial voting totals reported on Tuesday with all of Orange County reported and Durham County partially reported. Those two counties are fully covered by North Carolina’s fourth congressional district, with parts of Chatham County and Wake County also included. Foushee defeated Republican candidate Eric Blankenburg of New Hill, who is a first-time candidate and earned the second most votes compared to third party challengers.

Speaking with 97.9 The Hill Tuesday night in the wake of her unofficial victory, Foushee said she was humbled and honored to serve her community for another term. Even when many of North Carolina’s reconfigured congressional districts went to Republican candidates on Tuesday, the Congresswoman said she still drew encouragement from the high turnouts in the election cycle.

“This is not just an opportunity, but an obligation,” Foushee said of voting. “For people to turn out in the numbers they have, means that this experiment called America is still working. I do believe that, as we move forward, we’re going to see that manifest in ways that benefit our country. I’m just looking forward to that opportunity.”

At the time, Foushee said she was hopeful of Democrats re-earning control of the U.S. House after being in the minority for two years. But even when limited in major legislative power, Foushee pointed to the silver linings of how she could use her position to help her district’s residents.

“In Congress, there are opportunities to represent our constituents that did not really exist in the General Assembly,” said the U.S. representative, “because we have a staff that makes sure when people need connections with federal agencies — when they’re looking to have their passport done, when they’re looking to make sure they’re getting their Social Security benefits, when they’re looking for those benefits from being an American citizen — we get to offer that to them. We get to solve their everyday problems.”

Foushee also pointed to her success in bringing federal allocations back to the fourth district for projects, and said she is optimistic about still being able to do so no matter who is president or in control of the U.S. House.

A lifelong Orange County resident, Foushee served as a North Carolina senator for eight years representing Orange and Chatham counties, earning the seat in 2013 after Sen. Ellie Kinnaird retired. Foushee entered the North Carolina General Assembly a few years earlier after serving on the Orange County Board of Commissioners for eight years and serving on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education for eight years. Prior to that, she worked 21 years for the Chapel Hill Police Department after graduating from UNC.

More 2024 state and local election results can be found on Chapelboro’s results page.

 

Featured image via Foushee for Congress.

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