David Rouzer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 7th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2015
Preceded byMike McIntyre
Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 12th district
In office
January 1, 2009 – January 1, 2013
Preceded byFred Smith
Succeeded byRonald Rabin
Personal details
Born
David Cheston Rouzer

(1972-02-16) February 16, 1972
Landstuhl, West Germany
Political partyRepublican
EducationNorth Carolina State University (BS)
WebsiteHouse website

David Cheston Rouzer (/ˈraʊzər/ ROW-zər; born February 16, 1972) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 7th congressional district. Previously he was a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly, representing Johnston County and Wayne County in the 12th district of the North Carolina Senate.

Early life, education, and business career

Rouzer was born at Landstuhl Army Medical Center in Landstuhl, West Germany, where his father was based, in 1972.[1] He was raised in Durham, North Carolina, where he attended Northern High School.

Rouzer attended North Carolina State University, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. In 1994, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in agricultural business management, agricultural economics, and chemistry.[1] Rouzer is also a graduate of the Fund for American Studies' Institutes on Business and Government Affairs and American Economic and Political Systems.[2][3]

Rouzer has been a small business owner of The Rouzer Company and the Warehouse Distribution. From 2001 to 2002, he was assistant to the dean at the North Carolina State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. From 2005 to 2006, he was an associate-rural administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.[4]

Early political career

Rouzer with Jesse Helms in 2000

From 1996 to 2001, Rouzer was a legislative aide and Senior Policy Adviser for U.S. Senators Jesse Helms and Elizabeth Dole. In 2000, he ran for North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture and lost the Republican primary.

North Carolina Senate

Elections

In 2008, incumbent Republican state senator Fred Smith decided to retire in order to run for governor of North Carolina. Rouzer ran for Smith's old seat 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 was reelected with 70% of the vote.[7]

Issues

He worked on strengthening laws allowing youths to obtain driver's licenses. He was also a proponent of the 2012 "sea-level rise" legislation that sought to mandate that only historical data be used to predict future trends.[8]

Rouzer favors repealing the Affordable Care Act. In his 2012 campaign he released a TV ad in which his grandmother promised that he would not cut Medicare if elected.[9] He believes immigrants should be fluent in English before being granted U.S. citizenship. He is pro-life.[8]

Tenure

In his four years, he has sponsored 17 bills that have become signed into law.[10]

Committee assignments

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 Committees
  • 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 [11]

Rouzer is a member of the Republican Study Committee.[12]

U.S. House of Representatives

Rouzer with President Donald Trump in 2020

Elections

2012

After Republican-controlled redistricting, Rouzer gave up his State Senate seat to run in the newly redrawn North Carolina's 7th congressional district and challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative 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%).[13][14] His margin in Johnston County, the second-largest 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.[15]

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% of the vote.

2014

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

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 defeated Democrat J. Wesley Casteen in the general election with 60.9% of the vote.

2018

Rouzer won a third term to Congress with 55.5% of the vote over Democratic nominee Kyle Horton and Constitution Party nominee David Fallin, his narrowest margin of victory so far. Before the election, he sold his home in Benson and bought one in Wilmington, saying it was "a reflection of where I spend the vast majority of my time."[16]

2020

Rouzer defeated Democratic nominee Christopher Ward with about 60% of the vote.[17]

Tenure

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.[18] He also coauthored (with U.S. Senator Thom Tillis) a provision to the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act that gave authority to the United States Secretary of the Interior to designate a World War II Heritage city each year. The provision went into effect when the legislation was signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2019. Wilmington was expected to be among the first designated Heritage Cities.[19]

In 2015, Rouzer cosponsored an amendment to amend the US constitution to ban same-sex marriage.[20]

In December 2020, Rouzer was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign 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 defeated Trump.[21] 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 an election held by another state.[22][23][24]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Texas vs. Pennsylvania

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 Biden's electoral victories in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.[26][27] North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein joined other State Attorneys General in opposing Texas's suit, saying "This suit seeks to overturn the will of the people by throwing out the votes of tens of millions of Americans."[28] The Supreme Court denied Texas's motion for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution.[29] 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.[30]

References

  1. 1 2 "David Rouzer". The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina). October 25, 2008. p. G22.
  2. ↑ "About David Rouzer". Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Voter's Guide". The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina). May 3, 2014. p. 9E.
  4. ↑ "David Rouzer's Biography - The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  5. ↑ "NC State Senate 12 - R Primary Race - May 06, 2008". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ "NC State Senate 12 Race - Nov 04, 2008". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  7. ↑ "NC State Senate 012 Race - Nov 02, 2010". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "David Rouzer (R)". Election 2012. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Rouzer's grandmother, cousins promise no Medicare cuts in new TV ad". News & Observer. McClatchy Newspapers. September 11, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  10. ↑ Gannon, Patrick. "Fact check - Flaws in McIntyre-Rouzer debate claims". StarNewsOnline.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  11. ↑ "North Carolina General Assembly - Senator () Committee Assignments (2015-2016 Session)". Ncga.state.nc.us. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  13. ↑ "North Carolina State Board of Elections : State Wide Primary Election : 2012". Results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ "NC District 07- R Primary Race - May 08, 2012". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  15. ↑ "North Carolina: GOP Nominee Attacks Mike McIntyre in 7th District - At the Races". Atr.rollcall.com. May 10, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  16. ↑ Buckland, Tim (October 12, 2018). "Rouzer, citing workload, moves to Wilmington". Star-News.
  17. ↑ McGrath, Gareth (November 3, 2020). "NC election results: Rouzer wins fourth term in US House". Wilmington StarNews.
  18. ↑ "Representative David Rouzer". United States Congress. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  19. ↑ "After bill passage, Wilmington expected to be among first designated as WWII Heritage City". WECT News 6. March 12, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  20. ↑ Huelskamp, Tim (February 12, 2015). "Cosponsors - H.J.Res.32 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Marriage Protection Amendment". www.congress.gov. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  21. ↑ "List: The 126 House members, 19 states and 2 imaginary states that backed Texas' challenge to Trump defeat". The Mercury News. Bay Area News Group. December 15, 2020.
  22. ↑ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  24. ↑ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Membership". Republican Study Committee. December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Here Are the Names of 126 Members of the House Who Refuse to Accept That Biden Won". BuzzFeed News. December 11, 2020.
  27. ↑ https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163550/20201211132250339_Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20126%20Representatives%20--%20corrected.pdf
  28. ↑ "North Carolina AG opposes Texas election lawsuit". December 11, 2020.
  29. ↑ https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/121120zr_p860.pdf
  30. ↑ Yourish, Karen; Buchanan, Larry; Lu, Denise (January 7, 2021). "The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
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