Eric Rouse
Eric Rouse (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent North Carolina's 1st Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.
Biography
Rouse graduated from East Carolina University. As of the 2026 elections, Rouse was a business owner who operated six businesses, including a construction firm, a concrete firm, and a drilling company.[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.
Laurie Buckhout (R) defeated Asa Buck (R), Robert Hanig (R), Eric Rouse (R), and Ashley-Nicole Russell (R) in the Republican primary for North Carolina's 1st Congressional District on March 3, 2026. Click here for detailed results.
The election took 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] Buckhout will face incumbent Donald Davis (D), who was unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the general election.
Buckhout was 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 ran on her professional experience. Her campaign website said she had "extensive experience working with Federal and Congressional organizations on legal, budgetary and legislative matters."[3]
Buck was, as of the primary, 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."[4]
Hanig was, as of the primary, 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 said he was 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 owned and operated six businesses, including a construction firm and a drilling service. Rouse was first elected to the Lenoir County Commission in 2010. Rouse said he was 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 was, as of the 2026 election, an attorney operating a family law practice. Russell's campaign website said she would "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]
As of March 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 general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Incumbent Donald Davis (D), Laurie Buckhout (R), 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) | |
 | Laurie Buckhout (R) | |
 | Tom Bailey (L)  | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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
Laurie Buckhout (R) defeated Asa Buck (R), Robert Hanig (R), Eric Rouse (R), and Ashley-Nicole Russell (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Laurie Buckhout | 39.5 | 26,536 |
 | Asa Buck | 34.5 | 23,138 | |
 | Robert Hanig | 16.2 | 10,904 | |
 | Eric Rouse | 5.4 | 3,616 | |
 | Ashley-Nicole Russell | 4.4 | 2,969 | |
| Total votes: 67,163 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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 from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
Election campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asa Buck | Republican Party | $314,520 | $199,406 | $115,114 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Laurie Buckhout | Republican Party | $2,167,708 | $634,148 | $1,559,863 | 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 |
|---|---|
Note: As of February 6, 2026, Eric Rouse (R) had not registered as a candidate with the Federal Election Commission.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2019
See also: North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District special election, 2019
General election
Special general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 3
Gregory Murphy defeated Allen Thomas, Greg Holt, and Tim Harris in the special general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on September 10, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Gregory Murphy (R) | 61.7 | 70,407 |
 | Allen Thomas (D) | 37.5 | 42,738 | |
 | Greg Holt (Constitution Party) | 0.4 | 507 | |
 | Tim Harris (L) | 0.3 | 394 | |
| Total votes: 114,046 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary runoff election
Special Republican primary runoff for U.S. House North Carolina District 3
Gregory Murphy defeated Joan Perry in the special Republican primary runoff for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on July 9, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gregory Murphy | 59.7 | 21,481 |
 | Joan Perry | 40.3 | 14,530 | |
| Total votes: 36,011 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3
The following candidates ran in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on April 30, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Allen Thomas | 50.0 | 12,933 |
 | Richard Bew | 25.2 | 6,532 | |
| Dana Outlaw | 12.6 | 3,268 | ||
 | Isaiah Johnson | 6.9 | 1,774 | |
 | Gregory Humphrey | 2.7 | 695 | |
 | Ernest Reeves | 2.6 | 683 | |
| Total votes: 25,885 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ollie Nelson (D)
Republican primary election
Special Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3
The following candidates ran in the special Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on April 30, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gregory Murphy | 22.5 | 9,530 |
| ✔ | | Joan Perry | 15.4 | 6,536 |
 | Phillip Shepard | 12.1 | 5,101 | |
 | Michael Speciale | 9.5 | 4,022 | |
 | Phil Law | 8.7 | 3,690 | |
| Eric Rouse | 7.7 | 3,258 | |
| Jeff Moore | 5.4 | 2,280 | ||
 | Francis De Luca | 3.9 | 1,670 | |
 | Celeste Cairns | 3.5 | 1,467 | |
| Chimer Davis Clark Jr. | 2.6 | 1,092 | ||
 | Michele Nix | 2.2 | 915 | |
| Graham Boyd | 2.1 | 897 | ||
 | Paul Beaumont | 1.9 | 805 | |
 | Mike Payment | 1.3 | 537 | |
 | Don Cox | 0.6 | 251 | |
 | Kevin Baiko | 0.4 | 171 | |
 | Gary Ceres | 0.3 | 108 | |
| Total votes: 42,330 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Sandy Smith (R)
Libertarian primary election
Special Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3
Tim Harris defeated Shannon Bray in the special Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on April 30, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tim Harris | 56.0 | 75 |
 | Shannon Bray | 44.0 | 59 | |
| Total votes: 134 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Eric Rouse did not complete Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Rouse's campaign website stated the following:
Eric Rouse has supported President Trump from day one, and in the House, Rouse will have Trump’s back, and yours.
In the House, Eric will:
Fight for President Trump and help him protect & promote American jobs as priority #1!
Fight to keep our borders secure!
Fight to put an end to wokeness that's poisoning our schools and our country!
— Eric Rouse's campaign website (February 11, 2026)
Campaign ads
View more ads here:
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Eric Rouse did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
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
- ↑ Eric Rouse campaign website, "Home page," accessed February 13, 2026
- ↑ The Assembly, "This Competitive Race for U.S. House Could Be a Rematch," December 17, 2025
- ↑ Laurie Buckhout campaign website, "Meet Laurie," accessed February 9, 2026
- ↑ Asa Buck campaign website, "Home page," 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
