Lenoir County commissioner enters NC-1 GOP primary
Theresa Opeka, published in Carolina Journal
October 6, 2025
Eric Rouse, vice-chairman of the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners. Source: Timothy Faulkner/Faulkner’s Fotography/Lenoir County.
A third Republican candidate has announced plans to challenge Democrat Don Davis for his seat in North Carolina’s First Congressional District.
Small business owner and vice chairman of the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners, Eric Rouse of Kinston, made the announcement Monday in a press release.
“I’m running for Congress because I will fight in support of President Trump and the America First Agenda,” he said in the release. “I will support an agenda where the top priority is protecting and promoting more and better American jobs for American workers. Our state and our district have seen first-hand the economic devastation of so-called free-trade deals. But now we’ve got a President fighting for American jobs, and we need a congressman who will join that fight.”
A graduate of East Carolina University, Rouse has created and operates six businesses, including modular construction, concrete, and directional drilling. He said as a proven job creator, he understands that small businesses are the backbone of our economy and is running to fight for the “America First Agenda” and to roll back the regulations that stifle growth and opportunity.
He said that as a Lenoir County commissioner, an office he has held since 2010, he has been a fiscal conservative, serving as a champion for taxpayers and consistently voting against all tax and fee increases.
In April 2019, Rouse ran as a candidate in the special Republican primary for NC-3, after the death of Republican US Rep. Walter Jones. He ran alongside 16 others, including current North Carolina State Board of Elections Chairman Francis X. De Luca and current Congressman Greg Murphy, who would go on to win the primary and the 2019 General Election.
At that time, Lenoir County was in NC-3 before redistricting.
The district spans 22 counties, stretching from the Outer Banks to the outskirts of Raleigh, and is considered the state’s only truly competitive congressional seat.
Rouse joins state Sen. Bobby Hanig of Currituck and Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson in the running to be on the Republican ticket, which will be decided in the March 2026 primary.
Hanig — who announced his run in September, entered the state House in 2018 before moving to the Senate in 2022 — released a statement emphasizing both his political record and his alignment with conservative priorities.
“I’m a proven leader who has always been a fierce advocate for my constituents and our shared values and beliefs. I will continue that fight when I get to Washington,” Hanig said at the time.
Roberson announced his second run for NC-1 in April.
“I’m running for Congress because North Carolinians deserve a representative who isn’t afraid to take on the tough issues,” Roberson said in a press release when he announced. “In Congress, I’ll stand with President Trump to secure our border, stop the flow of deadly fentanyl into our region, and unleash the American economy to benefit the citizens of North Carolina’s First District.”
He ran for the office in the May 2022 Republican primary but lost to Sandy Smith. She would go on to lose to Democrat Don Davis in the November 2022 General Election.
The First District is regarded as the state’s most competitive congressional seat. In 2024, Davis held onto it by fewer than two percentage points, underscoring the stakes for both parties in 2026.
The official filing window for congressional candidates opens in December. National Republicans view NC-1 as one of their best opportunities to flip a Democratic seat, while Democrats consider it crucial to maintaining their foothold in eastern North Carolina.
Rouse and his wife, Alice, live in Kinston with their two children and three dogs.
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