Asa Buck
Asa Buck (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent North Carolina's 1st Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
Biography
Buck graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in criminal justice. Before entering elected politics, Buck served as a sheriff's deputy in Carteret County, North Carolina.[1]
2026 battleground election=
Ballotpedia identified the March 3 Republican primary for North Carolina's 1st Congressional District as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Asa Buck (R), Laurie Buckhout (R), Robert Hanig (R), Eric Rouse (R), and Ashley-Nicole Russell (R) are running in the Republican primary for North Carolina's 1st Congressional District on March 3, 2026.
The election is taking place in the context of redistricting that changed the district's boundaries from those used in 2024. The Assembly's Christa Dutton said the new lines "[made] the 1st District, which now spans the northeast part of the state from the Virginia border to the coast, more conservative."[2] The winner will face incumbent Donald Davis (D), who is unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the general election.
Buck is the sheriff of Carteret County. He was first elected in 2006. Buck's campaign website said he had spoken to voters across the district and "has found that his litmus test of Conservatism works well in almost every question of what the Federal Government should do, or NOT do, for the people."[3]
Buckhout is a U.S. Army veteran, the founder of a consulting firm, and a former assistant national cyber director for policy in the second Trump administration. Buckhout was the Republican nominee in 2024, losing to Davis 50%–48% under the old district lines. Buckhout is running on her professional experience. Her campaign website says she has "extensive experience working with Federal and Congressional organizations on legal, budgetary and legislative matters."[4]
Hanig is a U.S. Army veteran and the owner and operator of a pool service company. Hanig was first elected to the North Carolina Senate in 2022 and also served in the North Carolina House of Representatives and on the Currituck County Commission. Hanig says he is running "to help make the system work for everyone...I'm America First and Constituent First with a record to prove it. I've been counted out, but I've never been outworked."[5]
Rouse owns and operates six businesses, including a construction firm and a drilling service. Rouse was first elected to the Lenoir County Commission in 2010. Rouse says he is running "to fight for you -- the hardworking folks across North Carolina who get up early, bust their tails, and just want to be left alone to raise their families."[6]
Russell is an attorney operating a family law practice. Russell's campaign website says she will "go to Washington as an outsider, not another career politician. She will fight alongside President Trump to drain the swamp, push for term limits, balance the budget, defend our constitutional rights, and rebuild an economy that finally puts American families first."[7]
If no candidate wins more than 30% of the vote, the second-place candidate may request that the top two finishers advance to a May 12 runoff.
As of February 2026, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the general election Lean Republican and Inside Elections rated it Tilt Republican.
Elections
2026
See also: North Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Incumbent Donald Davis (D) and Tom Bailey (L) are running in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Donald Davis (D) | |
 | Tom Bailey (L)  | |
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Democratic primary
The Democratic primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. Incumbent Donald Davis (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 without appearing on the ballot.
Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Asa Buck (R), Laurie Buckhout (R), Robert Hanig (R), Eric Rouse (R), and Ashley-Nicole Russell (R) are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on March 3, 2026.
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Sandy Roberson (R)
Libertarian Party primary
The Libertarian Party primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. Tom Bailey (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 without appearing on the ballot.
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from RealClearPolitics, when available. We will regularly check for polling aggregation for this race and add polls here once available. To notify us of polls available for this race, please email us.
Election campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asa Buck | Republican Party | $248,160 | $14,863 | $233,297 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Laurie Buckhout | Republican Party | $2,151,679 | $633,733 | $1,544,249 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Robert Hanig | Republican Party | $344,686 | $204,180 | $140,506 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Eric Rouse | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Ashley-Nicole Russell | Republican Party | $211,900 | $120,125 | $91,775 | As of February 11, 2026 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[8][9][10]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
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Note: As of February 6, 2026, Eric Rouse (R) had not registered as a candidate with the Federal Election Commission.
Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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Campaign website
Buck's campaign website stated the following:
Common Sense is the Key
With a Congressional District that covers 23 counties, you can imagine the diversity of people and industry you will find. Fishermen to farmers; industrial manufacturing to small businesses. And of course, our fine military bases that are such a vital part of our national security and our economy. As Asa travels the District he is listening to citizens from all of these industries, plus a lot of retired folks that used to work in many of these fields. Asa has found that his litmus test of Conservatism works well in almost every question of what the Federal Government should do, or NOT do, for the people. Here are Asa's "Three Pillars of Conservatism" that he will use to decide his stance on the issues.
Lower Taxes
Congress must do more to lower the financial burden taxes put on everyday Americans. There's too much money going overseas and too much money being wasted here at home and we need to cut wasteful spending and let citizens keep more of their hard-earned money. Asa promises that whenever he looks at any bill, including the budget, he will never forget that the Federal Budget comes out of your pocket and work diligently to make sure more of that money remains in your control.
Less Government
The Founding Fathers weren't as fearful of an invading army or an uprising of the people as they were the very government they were creating. That's why they placed the power in the hands of "We the People". Asa believes the answers to the vast majority of America's problems lie not in the creation of more government programs, but in the common sense and determination of the American people. Asa will strive to LIMIT government, not EXPAND government.
More Freedom
Freedom is the reason this great Constitutional Republic was established and the reason so many from around the world look to America as the symbol of Freedom. We cannot let the freedoms so many of served, fought & died for, be cast aside to be replaced by restrictions designed to empower government and promote radical agendas. Asa will always view proposed legislation through the lens of FREEDOM and will not support efforts to limit the Constitutional rights of Americans.
— Asa Buck's campaign website (February 11, 2026)
Campaign ads
View more ads here:
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. House North Carolina District 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Asa Buck campaign website, "Home page," accessed February 13, 2026
- ↑ The Assembly, "This Competitive Race for U.S. House Could Be a Rematch," December 17, 2025
- ↑ Asa Buck campaign website, "Home page," accessed February 9, 2026
- ↑ Laurie Buckhout campaign website, "Meet Laurie," accessed February 9, 2026
- ↑ YouTube, "Welcome to the official YouTube channel of Bobby Hanig for Congress!" October 11, 2025
- ↑ YouTube, "GODS COUNTRY," October 16, 2025
- ↑ Ashley Nicole-Russell campaign website, "Home page," accessed February 9, 2026
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
