{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Ralph Hise","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Ralph Edward Hise\u202fJr. is the incumbent Republican candidate for the North Carolina State Senate, District\u202f47, seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. The North Carolina Senate is a 50\u2011member body whose members serve two\u2011year terms, must be at least 25 years old, a qualified voter, and have resided in the state for two years and in the district for one year before election\u202f[2]. Senators earn a salary of $13,951 per year plus a $104 per\u2011day per diem\u202f[2].\n\nHise was born August\u202f15,\u202f1976 in Mitchell County, North Carolina, and grew up in Spruce Pine. He earned a B.S. in statistics from Appalachian State University in 2000 and a master\u2019s degree in higher\u2011education administration from North Carolina State University in 2003\u202f[1][12][16]. He began his professional career as a faculty member at Mayland Community College, where he later served as Coordinator of Special Projects and Institutional Planning and Assessment Officer\u202f[1][16]. He also held the office of mayor of Spruce Pine\u202f[16].\n\nHise was first elected to the North Carolina Senate in November\u202f2010 and was sworn in on January\u202f1,\u202f2011\u202f[1][12]. He has been re\u2011elected every two years since, most recently in 2022 where he received 62,436 votes\u202f[3]. In 2019 he was appointed Deputy President Pro Tempore of the Senate, a leadership position he continues to hold\u202f[12][16]. Over successive sessions he has chaired key committees, including the Appropriations/Base Budget Committee, the Redistricting and Elections Committee, and the Health Care Committee, and has served on Finance, Pensions and Retirement, Rules and Operations, and several others\u202f[1].\n\nLegislatively, Hise has been a prominent conservative voice. He led the Senate\u2019s opposition to a Medicaid expansion study (House Bill\u202f998) and has sponsored anti\u2011transgender legislation restricting gender\u2011affirming care for minors\u202f[12]. He was involved in a 2017 campaign\u2011finance controversy that prompted an investigation by the State Board of Elections; he subsequently introduced Senate Bill\u202f68, which restructured the Board, though the law was later struck down by the state Supreme Court\u202f[12]. Hise also helped forfeit a large donation from the Pfizer PAC following a state ethics ruling\u202f[12].\n\nBeyond the Senate, Hise is active in his community as a member of the Abundant Life Outreach Church, chair of the Mitchell County Republican Party, and a volunteer for the North Carolina Victory Campaign\u202f[16]. He has been recognized with the American Conservative Union\u2019s Defender of Liberty Award\u202f[16].\n\nIn the 2026 race, Hise faces Democratic challenger Frank Patton Hughes\u202fIII. The Republican primary was cancelled, leaving Hise on the ballot for the general election\u202f[1].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Ralph Hise - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Ralph_Hise)\n- [2] [North Carolina State Senate District 47 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_State_Senate_District_47)\n- [3] [North Carolina State Senate District 47 candidate surveys, 2022 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_State_Senate_District_47_candidate_surveys,_2022)\n- [9] [Senator Ralph Hise - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/s/298)\n- [11] [Senator Ralph Hise - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/S/298)\n- [12] [Ralph Hise - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Hise)\n- [13] [2026 North Carolina Senate election - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_North_Carolina_Senate_election)\n- [16] [Ralph Hise, Jr.'s Biography](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/117794/ralph-hise-jr)\n- [18] [Senator Ralph Hise (@SenRalphHise)](https://www.facebook.com/SenRalphHise/)\n- [19] [Senator Ralph Hise (@RalphHise) / ...](https://twitter.com/RalphHise)\n- [20] [Senator Ralph Hise (@RalphHise) / ...](https://x.com/ralphhise?lang=en)","firstname":"Ralph","lastname":"Hise","middlename":"Edward","suffix":"JR","token":"b432fe8f4f159663"},"token":"pu7yZTx09n"},{"candidatename":"Frank Patton Hughes III","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Frank Patton Hughes III is the Democratic nominee for North Carolina State Senate District\u202f47 in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. He currently works as a public\u2011school teacher, teaching high\u2011school world history in McDowell County, NC [2].\n\nBorn in Iredell County, Hughes has lived in numerous North Carolina communities\u2014including Statesville, Union Grove, Norlina, Greensboro, Kings Mountain, Winston\u2011Salem, and most of his adult life in Avery County\u2014reflecting a family background of frequent relocations tied to his father\u2019s work as a Methodist minister [12]. He completed his secondary education in Guilford County and pursued higher education at Cleveland Community College and Caldwell Community College before earning a Bachelor of Science from Appalachian State University in 2014 [2].\n\nHughes\u2019 professional career has centered on education. After college he entered the classroom, eventually becoming a high\u2011school world\u2011history teacher where he emphasizes collaborative learning and student engagement [2]. His experience in the public\u2011school system informs his political priorities.\n\nPolitically, Hughes first appeared on the ballot in 2024, challenging incumbent Republican Ralph Hise for the District\u202f47 Senate seat. He received 35.8% of the vote (42,247 votes) to Hise\u2019s 64.2% (75,607 votes) [2]. The 2026 Democratic primary was canceled, allowing Hughes to advance automatically to the general election, where he will again face Hise [2].\n\nHughes\u2019 campaign platform focuses on three core issues. First, he advocates for increased funding and reduced overcrowding in North Carolina\u2019s public schools, arguing that teachers are overburdened by recent legislation [12]. Second, he pledges to improve access to quality health care in the mountainous western region, citing poverty and geographic barriers as major challenges [12]. Third, he emphasizes environmental stewardship, seeking to protect the forests, pastures, and streams that sustain local economies and tourism throughout western Carolina [12].\n\n## Sources\n- [2] [Frank Patton Hughes III - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Frank_Patton_Hughes_III)\n- [12] [Frank Hughes for NC Senate District 47](https://www.electhughes.com/)\n- [14] [Candidate Profiles \u2013 NC Voter Guide](https://ncvoterguide.org/profiles/)\n- [19] [Frank Hughes - Cablefax](https://www.cablefax.com/campaigns/frank-hughes)","firstname":"Frank","lastname":"Hughes","middlename":"Patton","suffix":"III","token":"68de7c5a56618d04"},"token":"IWh91JjsS6"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"state_senator","o.office":"state_senate","office":"state_senate","officedescription":"The Tennessee Senate is the upper chamber of the state legislature, with 33 members elected from single-member districts to four-year terms. Senators pass state laws, approve the state budget, confirm certain gubernatorial appointments, and \u2014 with the House \u2014 propose constitutional amendments.","officequalities":"- **Integrity** \u2014 Acts in the interest of constituents and the public good rather than for personal gain, and remains independent of undue influence from donors, lobbyists, and party leadership.\n- **Understanding of the constituency** \u2014 Grasps both the economic-development needs of the district and the day-to-day concerns of individual residents \u2014 safety, healthcare, education, infrastructure.\n- **Persuasion** \u2014 Engages, listens to, and persuades both fellow legislators and constituents. Can change minds and explain votes honestly.\n- **Legislative craft** \u2014 Reads, drafts, and amends statute with care. Understands how specific bill language translates to outcomes, and knows the body of law being modified.\n- **Coalition-building** \u2014 Finds common ground across partisan and factional lines, brokers compromises that hold, and forms working majorities even when consensus is hard to reach.","officeterm":2,"officetitle":"State Senator","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc State Senate District 47"}