Who's In the Race

Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC) faces Republican Eugene Douglass and Libertarian Matthew Laszacs in the November 3 general election in North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District. ​

North Carolina approved a new congressional map in October 2025 for use in the 2026 elections. Both the Democratic and Republican primaries were canceled on March 3, with Ross and Douglass each advancing unopposed.

Ross has represented the district since 2021 and previously served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2003 to 2013; before that, she worked as a civil-rights lawyer and served as North Carolina director of the American Civil Liberties Union from 1994 to 2002.

Douglass is a retired chemistry consultant and professor who taught for decades, including at UNC Pembroke, and holds a doctorate in fiber and polymer science from North Carolina State University. Laszacs is a business executive with 20 years of experience building and leading teams, according to Ballotpedia.

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What They Stand For

Ross has proposed reducing grocery, gas, childcare, and utility costs and addressing housing affordability, according to her campaign website. She's also supported:

  • Protecting reproductive choice, saying women should make their own health-care decisions,
  • A national gerrymandering ban and stronger voting-rights protections, including passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, according to The News & Observer,
  • Comprehensive immigration reform to keep families together, enhance border security, and provide a pathway to citizenship; and
  • Affordable housing and transportation investment, saying she is "committed to securing greater federal resources" for both, according to The News & Observer.

Douglass has supported nuclear power and argued that large electricity users such as data centers should "bring their own firm generation" rather than shift power costs to households, according to INDY Week. He also supports:

  • Ending federal rules that duplicate state and local law, except where genuine interstate conflicts exist,
  • Basing federal science and education grants on merit and opposing diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory as grant screens,
  • Enforcing existing immigration law and keeping legal immigration orderly, according to The News & Observer; and
  • Balancing the federal budget and stopping deficit spending.

Laszacs favors returning power to Congress, saying it should "reassert its Article I powers" and check the executive branch and judiciary, and he supports a debt-brake approach to limit permanent deficits, according to Ballotpedia.

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The Money Behind the Race

Through June 30, Ross had raised about $1.7 million and held about $1.3 million in cash on hand, while Douglass had reported no receipts, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Ross carried about $9,555 in debt as of June 30.

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Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Every major handicapper views this as a safe Democratic hold. Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Democratic as of Oct. 19; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Solid Democratic as of Oct. 11; and Inside Elections rated it Solid Democratic as of Oct. 2. Kalshi traders gave Democrats, whose nominee is Ross, a 97.83% chance of winning as of Oct. 20.

The district's recent history supports that picture. Ross won the seat with about 65% of the vote in 2022 and about 66% in 2024. Republicans won seven of the state's 14 U.S. House seats in 2022 and expanded that to 10 of 14 in 2024.

Donald Trump carried North Carolina in the 2024 presidential election with about 51% of the vote. Ross's consistent margins in the 2nd District have held even as Republicans have gained ground elsewhere in the state.

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