NC Republican Rep. Ted Budd tests positive for COVID-19
U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, a Republican from Davie County, has tested positive for the coronavirus and has very mild symptoms, he announced Tuesday.
“I wanted to let folks know that I tested positive for COVID-19 today and I’m going to be quarantining on the farm for a little bit,” Budd wrote on Twitter. “I have very mild symptoms so I’ll be working with my district and D.C. staff remotely.”
Budd, a Republican who won reelection in November, is the second member of the North Carolina congressional delegation to publicly announce a positive test.
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis had mild symptoms from COVID-19 in early October. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, a former U.S. representative from North Carolina, also tested positive in early November.
“I don’t want to worry folks,” Budd wrote. “I’m following CDC guidelines and I’ll be alright. Even though I have to stay here in NC for the time being, I’ll keep fighting for solutions that will help people who are feeling the impact of COVID much worse than I am. Nothing is gong to stop me from doing the job the voters elected me to do.”
There have been more than 367,000 coronavirus cases in North Carolina since March. More than 5,200 North Carolinians have died from the virus and more than 2,000 were hospitalized as of Tuesday, according to the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
Congress has been stalled on further relief packages to mitigate some of the economic and health problems brought on by the virus, which has upended life for many Americans. Several members of Congress have tested positive for the virus.
Budd’s new district includes parts or all of Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Iredell, Lee, Person and Randolph. He will begin his third term in the U.S. House in January.
For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Domecast politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it on Megaphone, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.
