BOONE — North Carolina Fifth District Rep. Virginia Foxx announced this week she will run for re-election in the November election. Foxx has represented the district since 2005.

“Representing the people of North Carolina’s Fifth District in Congress is a great honor,” Foxx said in making her announcement. “During this era of record deficits I promise to continue to hold Washington accountable and rein in its reckless spending and wasting of taxpayers’ hard-earned money.”

Foxx characterized herself as “a strong proponent of keeping taxes low and ensuring that the government lives within its means.” She opposed the federal bank bailouts, the auto industry bailouts and other spending programs.

She also has raised eyebrows at times with pronouncements from the House of Representatives floor. Last spring she said the 1998 torture and slaying of Matthew Shephard near Laramie Wyoming was a simple case of a murder in the commitment of a robbery. Court testimony showed Shephard was targeted and killed because he was gay, but Foxx said that was a “hoax.”

She also angered Democrats when, during a House Floor speech, she used the racially charged term “tar baby,” several times.

However, conservatives have lauded Foxx for her stand on opposing government bailouts, tax reforms and deficit spending in Washington. She has been a staunch opponent of Pres. Barack Obama’s health care reform efforts.

“Washington needs a strong dose of North Carolina common sense,” Foxx said in her announcement. “North Carolinians are looking for someone who will stand up to the big-spending ways of Washington and who will offer solutions that solve problems without growing government and creating debt. As a small-government conservative, I have a proven track record of fighting to preserve freedom and keep big government at bay.”

During her third term, Foxx successfully shepherded a bill through Congress to improve on-base housing for soldiers in the Army. Her bill to stop the 2008 bank bailout also passed the House last January.