David Rouzer

In 2008, incumbent Republican State Senator Fred Smith decided to retire in order to run for Governor of North Carolina. Rouzer decided to run and defeated Nena Reeves in the Republican primary 68%–32%.[5] In the general election, he defeated Kay Carroll 52%–48%.[6] In 2010, he won re-election with 70% of the vote.[7]

Rouzer receives a majority of his funding from agribusiness, receiving more than $289,000 from this sector in the 2012 congressional elections.[8]

He worked on strengthening laws allowing youths to obtain a drivers license. He is also a proponent for the "sea-level rise" legislation in 2012 that sought to mandate that only historical data be used to predict future trends.[9]

He favors repealing the 2010 health care reform law. In the 2012 election he released a TV ad in which his grandmother promises that the candidate would not cut Medicare if elected.[10] Rouzer believes immigrants should be fluent in English before being granted U.S. citizenship. He is pro-life.[9]

In his four years, he has sponsored 17 bills that have become signed into law.[11]

Standing/Select Committees

• Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources (Co-Chairman)
• Appropriations on Natural and Economic Resources (Co-Chairman)
• Finance
• Health Care
• Insurance
• Judiciary I
• Program Evaluation
• Select Committee on UNC Board of Governors

Non-Standing Committee

• Agriculture and Forestry Awareness Study Commission (Chairman)
• Consolidated Environmental Commission Committee
• Joint Legislative Task Force on Diabetes Prevention and Awareness
• Environmental Review Commission (Chairman)
• Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Information Technology
• Joint Regulatory Reform Committee (Chairman)
• Revenue Laws Study Committee
• Joint Select Committee on Tornado Damage Response [12]

Rouzer is a member of the Republican Study Committee.[13]

2012 congressional election

After Republican-controlled redistricting, he decided to give up his state senate seat to run in the newly redrawn North Carolina's 7th congressional district and challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre. His home in Johnston County had been drawn into the district; it had previously been in the 2nd District. In the Republican primary, Rouzer defeated both 2010 nominee Ilario Pantano and Randy Crow, but won just four of the district's twelve counties: Johnston (82%), Sampson (49%), Lenoir (43%), and Hoke (38%).[14][15] However, his margin in Johnston County, the second-largest county in the reconfigured district, was enough for him to win.

The redrawn 7th is much more conservative and Republican than its predecessor. Roll Call rates the election as leans Republican.[16]

After an official tabulation showed that Rouzer had lost the election to McIntyre by 655 votes, Rouzer asked for a recount on November 21, 2012. After the recount, Rouzer conceded the race to McIntyre on November 28. It was the closest House race in the country. Mitt Romney carried the district with 56 percent of the vote.

2014 congressional election

Rouzer ran for the 7th district again in 2014. McIntyre retired rather than face a rematch. Most pundits believed that with McIntyre's retirement, the seat would be an easy GOP pickup. Even before his near-miss in 2012, the 7th had been trending Republican for some time.

Rouzer won the general election with almost 60% of the vote. Upon taking office in January 2015, he became only the second Republican to represent a significant portion of eastern North Carolina in the House since Reconstruction.

2016 congressional election

After court-ordered redistricting, Rouzer's district was made slightly more compact. It lost most of its share of Johnston County and was pushed slightly to the east, picking up all of Wilmington–long the district's largest city–as well as Goldsboro. Rouzer was unopposed for the Republican nomination and went on to handily defeat Democrat J. Wesley Casteen in the General Election with 60.9% of the vote.

2018 congressional election

Rouzer won a third term to Congress with 55.5 percent of the vote over Democratic candidate Kyle Horton and Constitution Party nominee David Fallin, his narrowest margin of victory so far. Ahead of the election, he sold his home in Benson and bought a home in Wilmington, saying it was "a reflection of where I spend the vast majority of my time."[17]

2020 congressional election

Rouzer defeated Democratic challenger Christopher Ward, winning roughly 60% of the vote.[18]

The following companies contributed $10,000 or more to Rouzer's 2020 campaign: Live Oak Bank, Old Dominion Freight Line, Poovey Law Firm, Altria Group, Bank of America, Bk2 Holdings, Jh Land LLC, Riccobene & Assoc Dentistry, Marcus Foundation, Station Casinos, Western National Group, Majority Cmte PAC, Lowe's Companies, National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn, Innovation PAC, Deere & Co, American Crystal Sugar, Truist Financial, National Chicken Council, National Cattlemen's Beef Assn, National Pork Producers Council, National Turkey Federation, National Auto Dealers Assn, National Air Traffic Controllers Assn, National Stone, Sand & Gravel Assn.[19]

Rouzer was sworn into office on January 3, 2015 for the 114th Congress. As of May 2019, he had sponsored 24 pieces of legislation during his tenure, of which 2 became public law.[20] He also co-authored (together with U.S. Senator from North Carolina Thom Tillis) a provision to the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act which gave authority to the United States Secretary of the Interior to designate a World War II Heritage city each year. The provision entered into effect when the legislation was signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2019. Wilmington was expected among the first designated Heritage Cities.[21]

In December 2020, Rouzer was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[22] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[23][24][25]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Rouzer and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[26][27] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Rouzer and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[28]

In the 116th Congress Rouzer serves on the following committees:

• Committee on Transport and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Aviation

• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture (Vice-Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit

After the 2020 presidential election, Rouzer was among 126 House Republicans who supported Texas v. Pennsylvania, a December 2020 lawsuit that asked the Supreme Court to overturn Joe Biden's electoral victory in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.[29][30] North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein joined other State Attorneys General in opposing Texas' suit, saying "This suit seeks to overturn the will of the people by throwing out the votes of tens of millions of Americans."[31] The Supreme Court denied Texas' motion for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution.[32] On January 6, 2021, Rouzer was one of 147 Republican lawmakers who objected to the certification of electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election just hours after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol forcing an emergency recess of Congress and resulting in five deaths.[33]