FIRST ON FOX: The nation’s history is akin to someone who has faced adversity in life, suggested North Carolina Rep. Addison McDowell’s chief of staff, Alex Vargo, 34, who almost lost his life in a rollover car crash at age 16.

Sunday marks the 18th anniversary of the car crash that nearly killed Vargo and helped shape his life after facing several hurdles in the aftermath of the accident.

Rep. McDowell also faced adversity in his life after losing his brother to a fentanyl overdose, something that the North Carolina Republican has indicated drives him and his policymaking. During an interview with Fox News Digital, Vargo pointed out how the story of adversity, such as the events that he and the congressman have faced, is very similar to the story of America. 

“Our country is not an old country, but I think in our history we’ve gone through periods of real trial – civil wars, massive pandemics that shut down our life – but I think we’re not defined by those tragedies,” Vargo told Fox News Digital. “We’re not defined by wars, we’re defined by how we came back after, how our country stuck together… The whole story of America is one of triumph. It’s one of going through hard times and coming out on the other side.”

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Vargo, who grew up in Pittsburgh, was driving home in the snow one day, when, just four days before his 17th birthday, he lost control of his car going down a hill. It slid off the road, went into a hillside, flipped and ultimately “imploded inward,” the chief of staff recounted. Half of his left hand ended up being severed and required eight hours of emergency surgery to put back together. 

“People say they’re in shock – that’s the first time I’ve been in real shock,” Vargo said. “There are events in your life, not many but a handful that really shape how you view the world, what your purpose is, and that was definitely one.”

Vargo said his purpose became more defined after the incident. He underwent months of painful therapy, where he re-learned how to use his hand for things like typing and dribbling a basketball. According to Vargo, he was given a second chance at life and wanted to make good use of it. It was those life experiences that drove the decision to enter into “the battle of ideas,” and be part of the conservative movement. 

The now-chief of staff has been working in Congress since 2014. Starting as an intern on Capitol Hill, Vargo quickly rose in rank, leading him to serve alongside McDowell in the office of Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., while he was in the House. But Vargo believes his most consequential mission was his time in the Florida legislature. There he worked for former House Speaker Paul Renner during the time when Florida had the “Session of the Century.” 

“Alex was a pivotal member of our team as we enacted transformational reforms in Florida. He was a strong advocate during my time as speaker,” Renner told Fox News Digital.

“Together, we protected life, strengthened Florida’s gun laws, and passed the largest expansion of school choice in the nation. He’s turned personal trials into triumphs, and I’m grateful for his friendship,” Renner continued, referring to Vargo. 

Vargo also has spent time with multiple grassroots organizations, such as Heritage Action For America and was the 2024 campaign manager for Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla. 

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“Going through trials is not unique to me or to the congressman. People go through trials, whether it’s in the three-mile radius we’re in right now, or throughout the country. I think it’s kind of the story of our country,” added Vargo. “As a country, we’ve gone through trials. But we’re not really defined by our imperfections. We’re defined by our principles and our values.”

When asked whether Vargo’s tragic incident led him to focus on certain policy areas, he responded in the affirmative, pointing to healthcare affordability. Vargo said that through his accident he saw how “awesome” American healthcare is on one hand, but he also recalled how his experience opened his eyes to “how messed up of a system we have in terms of financing” healthcare. 

Meanwhile, when asked about specific policy solutions, Vargo pointed to the integration between insurance companies, hospital systems, pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical companies. 

“They all play a role, but I think there’s not enough time when people are advocating for the consumer,” Vargo said.

McDowell, who Vargo admitted has been through much more tragedy losing his brother than he did through his car crash, told Fox News Digital that from the first time he met Vargo he could tell he was “driven by a cause,” like himself, which McDowell described to Fox News Digital as “something bigger than himself.” 

“When I got President Trump’s endorsement, I called my wife, my political consultant and then Alex to tell him he was going to be my chief when I won,” McDowell recalled.

Virginia counties and several independent cities are pushing back against an April special election that could reshape nearly every Republican-held congressional district in the state before voters next head to the polls.

If approved, the referendum would trigger a mid-cycle redrawing of the state’s congressional map, potentially altering the balance of power in Virginia’s U.S. House delegation. If rejected, the existing map would remain in place and ongoing legal challenges surrounding the measure could be rendered moot.

In Patrick County — named for “Give me liberty or give me death,” Gov. Patrick Henry — local officials have mounted an early formal challenge to the vote, backed by lawmakers and attorneys from across the state. The county passed a resolution delaying early voting until just days before the April 21 election, as the redistricting amendment continues to be tested in court in Tazewell County.

Patrick County and others argue that the Virginia Constitution requires at least 90 days to pass before early voting can begin on a ballot measure. They claim Democrats improperly used a 2024 special legislative session — which was never formally closed — to fast-track the redistricting amendment onto the November ballot.

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Following Patrick’s lead, officials in Campbell, Charlotte, Spotsylvania, Prince George, Scott, Washington, Floyd and Roanoke counties, along with the independent city of Lynchburg, are considering, pursuing or voting on similar measures, according to Del. Wren Williams, who is also an attorney and who told Fox News Digital he is both politically and legally laser-focused on the situation.

Williams, who represents Patrick, Floyd and Carroll counties and the independent city of Galax in Virginia’s deep-red, mountainous southwest, said that from an apolitical perspective, the resolutions boil down to fiscal responsibility.

“Who would vote against ‘restoring fairness’? That is where I think [Democrats] have overstepped and overplayed their hand. When I was a young attorney, an older attorney told me one time, pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered,” he said in an exclusive interview.

Patrick County will spend about $15,000 to hold a special election, and the ongoing legal uncertainty and political gamesmanship over the issue in Richmond do not create a stable environment for municipalities to expend such resources, he said.

Tazewell County Judge Jack Hurley Jr. ruled in favor of Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, in the GOP’s procedural challenge, declaring the redistricting amendment “void ab initio,” or invalid from the start.

The commonwealth appealed, and the Virginia Supreme Court ruled the referendum could stand while it reviews the case. Separately, the RNC has sued the Virginia Department of Elections again via Tazewell, and Hurley again blocked the election on grounds that Virginia Democrats’ ballot question language of “[vote yes to] restore fairness” is misleading.

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Senate President L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, has repeatedly claimed the referendum’s mantle, responding in often profane ways to critics, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who took issue with the 10-1 Democratic bent of the new map.

“You all started it and we f[—]ing finished it,” Lucas said in response to Cruz calling it an abuse of power and affront to democracy.

Williams said that from both a fiscal and legal perspective, with all of the above going on, counties like his own are in the right.

The effort was publicly backed by Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson, a former state legislator, until the state Supreme Court threw a legal wrench in the works late last week.

Anderson has posted numerous video comments and documents on his social media, including a draft resolution for counties to use.

Rockingham County, which surrounds Harrisonburg, put forward a similarly crafted resolution last week wherein officials stated, “congressional redistricting has significant consequences for the ability of communities to elect representatives who understand and are familiar with their values, priorities and regional needs.”

However, after a Lynchburg judge reportedly ruled he could not intervene in the election process because the gears were already in motion, Anderson, who represented Lynchburg officials, told the Virginia Cardinal News he is not appealing and has pivoted to suggesting all critical counties move forward with the election.

In a video message on Thursday, Anderson warned that given the new ruling, all counties must now follow the Supreme Court.

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“If you are a local official… in a jurisdiction that entered a resolution that said you’re not going to do the elections, you need to reverse immediately. The Virginia Supreme Court has made its decision, you are bound by it,” he said.

“Go early vote. There’s nothing else to do other than to vote. If we lose, there are a ton of legal arguments that can be made [then],” Anderson added, further suggesting he will again be a part of any postmortem arguments.

Over just a few days, yards signs pleading with fellow Virginians to vote “NO” have cropped up all around, in places like Amherst, Stephenson, Buena Vista and beyond.

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., whose district runs from the West Virginia line at Roanoke to Botetourt County north of Roanoke, echoed those proponents’ concerns in comments to Fox News Digital.

Cline said his current district would be split into five pieces, many of which would originate in culturally disparate Arlington, saying it strips the singular voice in Washington from Virginia’s top agricultural region.

Another wrinkle was thrown in Wednesday when the Virginia Supreme Court stayed Hurley’s ruling regarding the election moving forward and said it will allow it to proceed while making clear it is not issuing a ruling on the merits of the case, which it maintains will come a few days after the election, according to the Virginia Scope.

“It is the process, not the outcome, of this effort that we may ultimately have to address. Issuing an injunction to keep Virginians from the polls is not the proper way to make this decision,” the court ruled, according to the Scope.

As early voting began Friday, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones issued a legal opinion opposing the counties’ efforts.

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“Local governing bodies cannot use their own independent constitutional interpretations to justify interfering with state-mandated elections,” Jones said, according to the Staunton News-Leader.

Jones claimed the counties don’t have any authority to prevent “election officials from performing their statutory duties,” alleging state supremacy and arguing that any disruptive resolutions would have “no legal effect.”

Prior to Jones’ opinion, Williams told Fox News Digital he understands the “lawfare” at play, saying he’s worked with election-law suits in the past and spoke of a “catch-me-if-you-can” dynamic of courts denying or delaying decisions until the situation is mooted so that they don’t actually have to issue a final ruling.

“If [the redistricting amendment] passes, they’re going to say, ‘the majority has spoken.’ And so that is my concern…” he said.

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Looking ahead, Williams noted many of the critical counties are holding their next board meetings in the coming days, and suggested the fight may not be over just yet.

A Republican source told Fox News Digital that Democrats “bet the farm” on the redistricting amendment and that “if it fails on the notice requirement, so do their other three amendments,” including the map redraw.

The wife of a Georgia high school teacher who died after what authorities described as a late-night senior prank gone wrong has asked for all charges to be dropped against the students involved.

Five North Hall High students were arrested after going to math teacher Jason Hughes’ Gainesville home armed with toilet paper to carry out a long-standing prank tradition. Hughes, 40, was the intended target Thursday night.

As the group tried to leave in two separate vehicles, Hughes was walking toward the street when he tripped and fell into the slippery roadway, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said. He was then run over by a car driven by 18-year-old Jayden Ryan Wallace.

Rather than an angry confrontation, the father of two was “excited and waiting to catch them in the act,” his wife, Laura, told The New York Times.

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“This is a terrible tragedy, and our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students,” Hughes said. “This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”

The Hugheses were both teachers at the public school and  devoted their lives to teaching. According to the New York Post, the prank had evolved into an ongoing battle where students lost “points” if the teacher caught them in the act.

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Wallace and the other teens stopped and attempted to help Hughes while waiting for first responders. The teacher later died from his injuries.

Wallace faces felony charges of first-degree vehicular homicide and reckless driving, along with misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass and littering on private property. The other 18-year-olds, identified by police as Elijah Tate Owens, Aiden Hucks, Ana Katherine Luque and Ariana Cruz, were also arrested at the scene and charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass and littering on private property.

Jail records show that Wallace was arrested on Saturday and has a total bond of $1,950. All five students have since been released on bond, court records show. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office for comment on Laura Hughes’ statements. 

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Along with being a math teacher at the high school, the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes posted on its Facebook that Hughes was also a golf coach at the school.

In a statement to FOX 5, the school said: “Our hearts are broken. Jason Hughes was a loving husband, a devoted father; a passionate teacher, mentor, and coach who was loved and respected by students and colleagues. He gave so much to so many in numerous ways. Our hearts and prayers go out to his wife and family. We ask that the media and the public respect their privacy as they grieve.”

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In a GoFundMe, a family friend asked for funds to help with future planning for his two children.

“Jason’s life was a blessing to so many, and his untimely passing will be indescribably difficult for his wife and two young boys for years to come,” the fundraiser said.