North Carolina, State Senate, District 47

Note: North Carolina's state legislative district maps are the subject of ongoing legal actions. On June 5, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed a federal district court decision finding that 28 state legislative districts had been subject to an illegal racial gerrymander. The district court then ordered state lawmakers to draft remedial maps for use in the 2018 election cycle. The legislature adopted new state House and Senate district maps on August 30, 2017. On October 26, 2017, the district court appointed a special master "to assist the Court in further evaluating and, if necessary, redrawing" the revised district maps. The special master, Nate Persily, issued final recommendations on December 1, 2017. On January 19, 2018, the district court issued an order adopting Persily's recommendations, which incorporated some changes to the maps drawn by the state legislature. However, on February 6, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a partial stay against the district court's order. On June 28, 2018, the high court partially affirmed the district court's decision but returned the case to the lower court for reconsideration regarding its original ruling on districts in Wake and Mecklenburg counties. As a result of these actions, several district numbers and boundaries changed. Consequently, the demographic information in this article might not apply to the newly drawn district boundaries. We will update this information as new developments occur. For more information on redistricting in North Carolina, see this article.

North Carolina State Senate District 47
Current incumbent	Ralph Hise
Population	187,477
Race	90.39% White, 5.29% Black, 0.33% Native American, 0.48% Asian/Pacific Islander, 2.09% Single Race Other, 1.42% Multi-Race
Ethnicity	95.85% Non Hispanic, 4.15% Hispanic
Voting age	78.9% age 18 and over

North Carolina's forty-seventh state senate district is represented by Republican Senator Ralph Hise.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 187,477 civilians reside within North Carolina's forty-seventh state senate district. North Carolina state senators represent an average of 190,710 residents, as of the 2010 Census. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 160,986 residents.

About the office

Members of the North Carolina State Senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. North Carolina legislators assume office the first day of the new General Assembly in January.

Qualifications

Article 2, Section 6 of the North Carolina Constitution states: "Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election."

Salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$13,951/year	$104/day; set by statute.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the senate, the Governor is responsible for selecting a replacement. When making the appointment, the Governor must make the selection from a list of recommended candidates submitted by the political party committee that holds the vacant seat. The appointment must be made by the Governor within seven days of receiving the list of recommended candidates. The person selected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of North Carolina State Senate will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for March 3, 2020. The filing deadline was December 20, 2019.

2018

General election

General election for North Carolina State Senate District 47

Incumbent Ralph Hise (R) defeated David Wheeler (D) in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 47 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ralph Hise (R)	62.3	44,305
	David Wheeler (D)	37.7	26,777

The results have been certified.

Total votes: 71,082

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 47

David Wheeler defeated Cheryl Swofford and Christopher Rumfelt in the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 47 on May 8, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	David Wheeler (D)	54.2	4,272
	Cheryl Swofford (D)	31.4	2,473
	Christopher Rumfelt (D)	14.5	1,141

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 7,886

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 47

Incumbent Ralph Hise advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 47 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Ralph Hise (R)

The results have been certified.

2016

Elections for the North Carolina State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election will be held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 21, 2015.

Incumbent Ralph Hise defeated Mary Jane Boyd in the North Carolina State Senate District 47 general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 47 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ralph Hise Incumbent	64.85%	56,021
	Democratic	Mary Jane Boyd	35.15%	30,364
Total Votes			86,385
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections

Mary Jane Boyd defeated Tim Murphy in the North Carolina State Senate District 47 Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 47 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mary Jane Boyd	60.14%	8,981
	Democratic	Tim Murphy	39.86%	5,953
Total Votes			14,934

Incumbent Ralph Hise ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 47 Republican primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 47 Republican Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Republican	Ralph Hise Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

Elections for the North Carolina State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 28, 2014. Incumbent Ralph Hise defeated Michael Lavender in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 47 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ralph Hise Incumbent	62%	8,378
Michael Lavender	38%	5,127
Total Votes		13,505

2012

Elections for the office of North Carolina State Senate consisted of a primary election on May 8, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 29, 2012. Incumbent Ralph Hise (R) defeated Phil Feagan (D) in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the May 8 primary elections.

North Carolina State Senate, District 47, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ralph Hise Incumbent	56.5%	46,415
	Democratic	Phil Feagan	43.5%	35,799
Total Votes			82,214

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for North Carolina State Senate District 47 raised a total of $5,210,039. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $226,523 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, North Carolina State Senate District 47

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$224,676	3	$74,892
2014	$260,070	2	$130,035
2012	$499,041	2	$249,521
2010	$1,308,858	4	$327,215
2008	$652,610	2	$326,305
2006	$868,948	2	$434,474
2004	$876,342	2	$438,171
2002	$519,494	6	$86,582
Total	$5,210,039	23	$226,523