Rep. David Rouzer absent from UNCW candidate forum, WWAY’s requests for comment go unanswered

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — U.S. Rep. David Rouzer missed a candidate forum at the University of North Carolina Wilmington on Monday night, prompting questions about his participation in public forums and town halls as he seeks a seventh term in Congress.

The forum featured candidates running to represent New Hanover County, including those seeking North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District seat.

Rouzer, the Republican incumbent, did not attend the event or respond to a candidate questionnaire sent by WHQR ahead of the forum.

WWAY made several attempts to contact Rouzer’s Washington, D.C., office Tuesday to ask about his absence. Those calls went unanswered.

“Thanks for calling Congressman Rouzer’s office, please leave a message after the tone (beep),” an automated voicemail message said.

Rouzer has not held a town hall for his constituents since 2017, according to information reported by WWAY.

In 2025, the grassroots organization Indivisible Wilmington organized a mock town hall called “Where’s Rouzer?” to draw attention to his absence from public forums.

During Monday’s forum, Rouzer’s two challengers, Libertarian Maad Abu Ghazalah and Democrat Kim Hardy, addressed his absence.

“If I can just have a few moments to answer on behalf of David Rouzer (laughter). So my name is David Rouzer, I know none of you have heard my voice before.”

Hardy also criticized Rouzer’s engagement with voters during his time in office.

“This is the first time since 2018 David Rouzer has spent money on ads, which tells us that he has felt like he did not need to invest any money in the people of this district in all of the time that he’s been in office. But I am showing, I have shown up for every single event, I have hosted my own town hall events.”

Organizers of another candidate forum scheduled for this weekend said Tuesday that Rouzer had not responded to their invitation.

Rouzer’s office says he was unable to attend the forum and has previously highlighted his work on the House Farm Bill, port and maritime improvements, and legislation intended to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency connect health care workers with communities affected by natural disasters.

WWAY has contacted Rouzer’s office multiple times for comment and will provide updates if it receives a response.