Biography:

A native of New York City, Virginia Foxx graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has a doctorate in education from UNC-Greensboro.

She was a longtime instructor and educational administrator at North Carolina schools, including Caldwell Community College, Appalachian State University and Mayland Community College, where she was president from 1987 to 1994.

She was elected to the state Senate in 1994 and was re-elected four more times.

Foxx, who lists her hobbies as reading and gardening, is married to Tom Foxx; they own and operate Grandfather Mountain Nursery with their daughter and son-in-law.

Past Campaigns:

Prior to serving in the North Carolina Senate, Virginia Foxx served three terms on the Watauga County School Board.

She was first elected to the state Senate in 1994 and was re-elected in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002.

In July 2004, Foxx finished second in a tumultuous eight-way primary for the GOP nomination in the 5th Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Richard Burr was vacating his seat to run for U.S. Senate.

Because no candidate garnered more than 40 percent of the vote, Foxx advanced to a runoff against the leading vote-getter, Winston-Salem City Councilman Vernon Robinson, who portrayed himself as a black Jesse Helms.

During a four-week runoff campaign, Robinson compared Foxx in radio ads to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

Foxx ended up receiving 55 percent of the runoff vote to Robinson's 45 percent.

In the general election, she faces Surry County dentist Jim Harrell Jr., the Democratic nominee. Foxx is a heavy favorite; Republicans in statewide races regularly carry the 5th District by 20 points or more.

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