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Michigan, State Representative, District 47

Michigan House of Representatives District 47
Current incumbentHenry Vaupel Republican Party
Population94,613
Gender50.3% Male, 49.7% Female
Race96.8% White, 1.3% Two or More Races, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% Black, 0.4% Other, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander
Ethnicity98.1% Non-Hispanic, 1.9% Hispanic

Michigan's forty-seventh state house district is held by Republican Representative Henry Vaupel.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 94,613 civilians reside within Michigan's forty-seventh state house district. Michigan state representatives represent an average of 89,851 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 90,349 residents.

About the office

Members of the Michigan House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits. Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.

Qualifications

Section 7 of Article 4 of the Michigan Constitution states, "Each senator and representative must be a citizen of the United States, at least 21 years of age, and an elector of the district he represents. The removal of his domicile from the district shall be deemed a vacation of the office. No person who has been convicted of subversion or who has within the preceding 20 years been convicted of a felony involving a breach of public trust shall be eligible for either house of the legislature."

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$71,685/year$10,800/year expense allowance for session and interim. Set by the compensation commission.

Term limits

The Michigan legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Michigan Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Michigan representatives are subject to term limits of no more than three two-year terms, or a total of six years.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2002.

Vacancies

Whenever a vacancy occurs in the house, it is up to the Governor to call for a special election. A special election must be held during the next scheduled general election. If the vacancy happened after the statewide primary, leaders of the respective party organizations within the Senate district can submit a list of nominees to be voted on by party leadership. A vote must be held no later than 21 days after the vacancy.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for August 4, 2020. The filing deadline is April 21, 2020.

2018

General election
General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 47

Incumbent Henry Vaupel (R) defeated Colleen Turk (D) in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 47 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Henry Vaupel (R)
66.4
28,948

Colleen Turk (D)
33.6
14,638

Total votes: 43,586
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 47

Colleen Turk advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 47 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Colleen Turk (D)
100
6,267

Total votes: 6,267
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 47

Incumbent Henry Vaupel advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 47 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Henry Vaupel (R)
100
11,638

Total votes: 11,638

2016

Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 19, 2016.

Incumbent Henry Vaupel defeated Keith Van Houten and Rodger Young in the Michigan House of Representatives District 47 general election.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 47 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Henry Vaupel Incumbent 68.17% 32,616
Democratic Keith Van Houten 27.00% 12,918
Libertarian Rodger Young 4.84% 2,314
Total Votes 47,848
Source: Michigan Secretary of State

Keith Van Houten ran unopposed in the Michigan House of Representatives District 47 Democratic primary.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 47 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Keith Van Houten (unopposed)

Incumbent Henry Vaupel ran unopposed in the Michigan House of Representatives District 47 Republican primary.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 47 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Henry Vaupel Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Jordan Genso was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Henry Vaupel defeated Phil Campbell, Wendy Day, Harold Melton and Theodore Ring in the Republican primary. Vaupel defeated Genso and Rodger Young (L) in the general election.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 47 General Election, 2014

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngHenry Vaupel 69.1% 20,998
Democratic Jordan Genso 26.6% 8,086
Libertarian Rodger Young 4.3% 1,300
Total Votes 30,384

Michigan House of Representatives, District 47 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngHenry Vaupel 41.9% 3,917
Wendy Day 36.7% 3,436
Phil Campbell 17.7% 1,656
Harold Melton 2.9% 274
Theodore Ring 0.8% 73
Total Votes 9,356

2012

Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 7, 2012 and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature-filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was May 15, 2012. The deadline for independent candidates was July 19, 2012. The deadline for write-in candidates was July 27, 2012. Incumbent Cindy Denby (R) defeated Shawn Lowe Desai (D) and James Weeks II (L) in the general election. Denby defeated Harold Melton in the Republican primary. Desai was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 47, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngCindy Denby Incumbent 64.1% 27,621
Democratic Shawn Desai 32.2% 13,888
Libertarian James Weeks II 3.7% 1,607
Total Votes 43,116

Michigan House of Representatives, District 47 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngCindy Denby Incumbent 74.5% 7,597
Harold Melton 25.5% 2,602
Total Votes 10,199

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Michigan House of Representatives District 47 raised a total of $910,453. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $26,013 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Michigan House of Representatives District 47

Year Amount Candidates Average
2016 $77,350 3 $25,783
2014 $211,579 7 $30,226
2012 $71,220 3 $23,740
2010 $90,293 2 $45,147
2008 $47,641 5 $9,528
2006 $123,605 2 $61,803
2004 $104,839 2 $52,420
2002 $142,484 7 $20,355
2000 $41,442 4 $10,361
Total $910,453 35 $26,013