This proud dad with a gay daughter is on the cusp of ousting one of Congress’ biggest homophobes
We love this guy.
Mark
Chuck Hubbard ran for Congress to protect his gay daughter’s right to live her life as she pleases. And it looks like the blue tsunami that overtook the country this week will carry him to victory.
While Hubbard’s race hasn’t been called, the North Carolina native holds a 100-vote lead over GOP incumbent Virginia Foxx. The 83-year-old has held her seat for two decades, amassing one of the most anti-LGBTQ+ voting records in Congress.
But like other rural and red state Republicans, Foxx wasn’t prepared for a competitive race. Republicans have lost at least 17 seats–including two in the Senate–that Tr*mp carried by double digits. And more, like North Carolina District 5, are on the way.
Protecting his daughter
Politics, but make it gay!
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A genteel boomer with a friendly Southern drawl, Hubbard doesn’t fit the caricature of LGBTQ+ advocates that’s often portrayed on Fox News. But the truth is, the majority of people who support gay rights look a lot like him.
They’re just regular folks, with an LGBTQ+ person in their life.
For Hubbard, that’s his daughter. In a now-viral clip, he says his daughter’s reaction to Tr*mp’s first election pushed him to get involved.
“The day Tr*mp was elected the first time, my daughter Meredith called me from Omaha, Nebraska, where she and Rachel live, crying,” he said. “She said, ‘Dad, every bit of progress that we’ve ever made is going to be taken away from us. These people hate me,’ is what she said, ‘and they’re coming after me. They’re coming after my job.’”
A decade later, some of Hubbard’s daughter’s fears have come to fruition. The Tr*mp admin has rolled back numerous LGBTQ+ protections, especially for trans people. Foxx has voted with them every step of the way.
A proud homophobe, Foxx has vowed to do “everything in her power” to reverse Obergefell since gay marriage became the law of the land.
Hubbard, as a proud father, says nothing is more important than protecting his daughter’s marriage–the very kind of union that Foxx opposes.
“I would love to tell you that other issues are important to me, but that’s just about as important as it gets,” he said. “Everybody—everybody—deserves to live their life the way they want to.”
It’s not surprising that Hubbard’s message resonates in a conservative district, where people want government out of their lives.
What democracy is all about
After 10 years of MAGA, it’s tempting to become cynical about politics and democracy as a whole. With oligarchs like Elon Musk throwing their unfathomable fortunes behind Republicans, the whole exercise has seemed futile.
But on Tuesday, Musk’s $400 million didn’t buy him anything. Democrats won across the country. Candidates like Hubbard, a longtime journalist, led the way.
On social media, many people said that Hubbard’s run shows what democracy is all about.
“I just love this country,” somebody posted. “People like this guy standing up and getting into the arena for a seemingly impossible battle. A hero for his daughter and all of us.”
Another person simply added, “OK this made me cry.” (Us too!)
A nice guy vs. a mean lady
Simply put, NC District 5 comes down to nice versus mean.
Turns out, Hubbard has had a grassroots fan base for a while. After his stirring speech went viral, a clip resurfaced of him welcoming Cardi B to the Tar Heel State.
“I just wanted to take a moment to welcome Cardi B to North Carolina from New York,” he said. “This good Democrat is down in Raleigh at the Lenovo Center, and thank God it’s not Nicki Minaj, that MAGA poser.”
He ended with a sick burn.
“I don’t she could fill up the Lenovo Center, anyway,” he added.
As for Foxx, she’s the subject of a viral news clip that features a fourth grader and his mother talking about the nasty response they received from her when he wrote to her office.
As part of a school project, students had to pick a topic and write a persuasive essay. The fourth grader, Christian, chose tax credits for electric vehicles, and mailed his letter to Foxx.
She didn’t take well to it, instructing Christian to ask his teacher to “explain propaganda” to him.
“While I will never be able to know, my guess is your teacher will never be able to give you a good educational experience,” Foxx wrote.
Christian didn’t appreciate her disregard.
“I think that was wrong,” he said.
It appears that after 21 years, voters in her district agree.
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