Richard Hudson, 54, is a Charlotte native who has served in Congress since 2013, first in North Carolina’s 8th District and then in the 9th District. According to his website, he is the “highest-ranking Republican member of Congress from North Carolina in history.”
Hudson graduated from UNC Charlotte with degrees in politics and history. He and his wife live with their son in Southern Pines.
Candidate Q&A
NC Health News reached out multiple times by email, social media and to Hudson’s congressional office and did not receive a response. To provide information to readers, we have included examples from Hudson’s congressional voting record, along with statements he has made on his website and in news releases.
What do you see as the biggest financial and administrative challenge to implementing the work requirements for Medicaid that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill?
NC Health News did not find Hudson discussing the cost or administrative burden of the work requirements on states.
In a June 30, 2025, thread on X defending the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Hudson said the requirements apply only to able-bodied adults without young children, a policy he described as “promoting dignity, stability, and health.”
What would be your plan for ensuring the future security and strength of Social Security and Medicare?
No response available. Hudson has supported legislation to improve access to timely care and ensure Medicare recipients have access to their preferred physicians by increasing what doctors are paid for taking Medicare patients. He also received the “Guardian of Seniors’ Rights Award” by the 60 Plus Association in 2018 for his efforts to save Medicare and Social Security.
What would you support in Congress as a plan to help control health care and pharmaceutical costs?
In a September 2024 op-ed in the Washington Examiner, Hudson criticized Democratic proposals for universal government-run health care, saying it would “give patients fewer healthcare choices, worse quality care, and longer wait times while hiking taxes for everyone.”
Hudson, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, has opposed Democratic drug pricing policies. In August 2024, he issued a statement criticizing the Biden administration’s Medicare drug price negotiation program under the Inflation Reduction Act. In 2019, he voted against House Democrats’ drug pricing bill, saying in a news release that it would stifle innovation.
What steps would you take to improve access to health care in rural areas? How do we make the Rural Health Transformation Program successful in North Carolina?
In December 2025, Hudson joined other members of the North Carolina congressional delegation in a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services urging that North Carolina’s share of the Rural Health Transformation Program reflect the state’s large rural population. North Carolina has the second-largest rural population in the country, with about 7.6 percent of the nation’s rural residents.
When CMS announced a $213 million award for North Carolina, Hudson issued a news release calling the program the “largest rural health care investment in a generation.” He said he looked forward to “continued engagement with rural providers and stakeholders” to make sure North Carolinians get the care they need.
Hudson also sponsored the bipartisan MOBILE Health Care Act, which would allow community health centers to use federal grants to set up mobile health units in rural and underserved areas.
The rollout of AI is moving fast, including in health care, and leaders in that space are calling for things to slow down. What federal moves should be taken to regulate it, if at all?
Hudson chairs the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. In June 2025, he and Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie said AI is launching the economy into a “new American golden age” and that networks need regulatory certainty to support it.
At the subcommittee’s June 2025 hearing on AI, Hudson said the discussion would focus on what the United States needs to keep its lead in developing AI models.
NC Health News did not find Hudson’s position on federal regulation of AI or on AI in health care.
Where do you stand on federal vaccine policy? What should be done to prevent future disease outbreaks?
No response available. In 2020, Hudson sponsored the “Commitment to Defeat the Virus and Keep America Healthy Act” to strengthen the national stockpile of personal protective equipment and expand future vaccine development, although the bill got stuck in committee and was never voted on by the House.
At the same time, he has opposed federal vaccine mandates for health care workers, service members and schoolchildren.
We’ve had some high-profile food contamination outbreaks, yet the federal government is pulling back on regulation of food, air and water. What level of federal regulation do you support and why?
No response available. NC Health News could not find anything in the public record on this topic.
PFAS contamination is a nationwide issue; how do you address it while balancing public safety and business interests?
In January 2020, Hudson was one of three Republicans to vote for the House-passed PFAS Action Act, which would have required the EPA to set enforceable drinking water standards, according to NC Newsline. Two of his amendments were added to the bill: one directing the EPA to study ways to prevent GenX contamination of drinking water sources, and another making communities affected by GenX eligible for grants to treat PFAS.
In 2021, an amendment from Hudson to prioritize funding for water systems affected by GenX was defeated on the House floor. After the House passed a later version of the PFAS Action Act with his two amendments included, he said, “Combating GenX in our water has remained a top priority.”
NC Health News did not find Hudson addressing how to balance PFAS regulation with business interests.
The building and placement of data centers have become a big issue, particularly in many rural communities. What should be the federal government’s role, if any, in how these are developed?
On Sept. 16, 2026, Hudson voted yes on the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed the House 417-3. The bill would require state utility regulators to consider standards that make data centers using 100 megawatts or more responsible for the costs of power infrastructure built to serve them, rather than passing those costs to household customers. The Senate fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance the bill on Sept. 30.
NC Health News did not find a separate statement from Hudson on the federal role in data center development.
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