Ralph Hise will square off against challenger Frank Hughes III for the second campaign in a row as he vies to become the longest-serving member of the state Senate.
Hise (R-Mitchell) is angling to become Senate president pro tem when Phil Berger, who leaves his seat after losing a close Republican Primary to current Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. Hise told The Smoky Mountain News it’s time to have someone from the mountains holding the most powerful position in the Senate.
“It can make a huge difference having that influence,” he said.
But Hughes, a high school teacher from Avery County, hopes to unseat Hise and bolster the Democratic ranks in the body, saying he wants to end policies he believes hurt the average Western North Carolina resident. In 2024, Hise topped Hughes in the General Election with 76.8% of the vote. Hughes, who had no political experience prior to his 2024 campaign, said he learned lessons then that he thinks are strengthening his efforts in 2026.
“It was trying to build an airplane as I was flying it,” he said. “This time, I started knocking on doors and making phone calls earlier. I’ve been getting more out into the community and talking to folks.”
Hughes discussed a number of positions, from limiting senators to two terms to eliminating the proliferation of data centers and “mass surveillance,” a reference to Flock cameras that have recently become the subject of intense scrutiny nationwide. However, his most ardently held position is that teachers — especially veterans of the profession — need to receive better pay.
The recently passed state budget gave a bump to starting pay for teachers, setting the amount at $48,000. While that raise was well-received, lawmakers were criticized by some for not doing more for experienced educators.
Hise, who has been in the Senate for 16 years and chairs the Appropriations Committee, said the body’s “highest priority” is starting teacher pay, adding that bumping up the floor while not substantially raising the ceiling was necessary to bring in more teachers. However, he believes “long-term teacher pay” also needs to increase, specifically noting that educators need to rise through the pay scale far faster than the system currently allows.
Hughes said Republicans began working to cut teacher pay over two decades ago, and now they’re having to play catch-up. He also discussed the lack of a pay increase for experienced teachers in the budget.
“A lot of veteran teachers I work with felt insulted,” he said. “You get the feeling they don’t want to keep teachers.”
More broadly, Hughes feels that Republican legislation has been geared more toward helping corporations more than working people. He argued that nowhere is that clearer than in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which he said also shows how Raleigh tends to ignore the needs in rural mountain communities.
“It is absolutely illustrative of how Western North Carolina and its people have been put on the back burner for the last 100 years,” he said.
The price tag for hurricane recovery in the region is expected to be around $60 billion. Hise said it remains his top priority. At this point, the state has provided about $3 billion in direct appropriations.
“I feel like it meets the needs as to where we are and where we’re progressing,” he said. “No doubt there will be additional appropriations to meet Helene recovery needs, but that basically got us to a place that we’re paying for what we can recover in the next year.”
Meanwhile, Hise has been disappointed with the federal response. Until now, Congress has provided about $9 billion. He has joined other Western North Carolina leaders in calling for more aid from Washington, D.C., especially for housing and small businesses.
“We’re connecting with members of Congress on a regular basis,” he said.
Hise said that campaigning after eight terms in the Senate is far different than when he first started.
“You start talking more and more about accomplishments in legislature and things you do for Western North Carolina,” he said.
Perhaps the biggest accomplishment Hise points to has been lowering tax rates. The corporate tax rate sits at 2%. The personal income tax is 3.99%, and the plan is to is to lower it to 2.99% by 2028. The goal, Hise said, is to eliminate those taxes altogether.
“The Senate is 100% committed to reducing that number,” he said. “It will finally make us competitive with our neighbor, Tennessee. You step right across the border in one of my counties, and you have no personal income tax.”