North Carolina's 48th House district

North Carolina's 48th State
House of Representatives
district
North Carolina's 48th State; House of Representatives; district
Representative
	Garland Pierce; D–Wagram
Demographics	38% White; 35% Black; 11% Hispanic; 1% Asian; 9% Native American; 1% Other; 6% Multiracial
Population (2020)	87,455

North Carolina's 48th House district is one of 120 districts in the North Carolina House of Representatives. It has been represented by Democrat Garland Pierce since 2005.^[1]

Geography

Since 2019, the district has included all of Hoke and Scotland counties. The district overlaps with the 24th Senate district.

District officeholders

Multi-member district

Representative	Party	Dates	Notes	Representative	Party	Dates	Notes	Representative	Party	Dates	Notes	Counties
District created January 1, 1983.												1983–1993 All of Polk, Rutherford, and Cleveland counties.^[2]
Edith Ledford Lutz (Lawndale)	Democratic	January 1, 1983 – January 1, 1995	Redistricted from the 40th district.	John Jackson Hunt (Lattimore)	Democratic	January 1, 1983 – January 1, 1997	Redistricted from the 40th district.	Charles Donald Owens (Forest City)	Democratic	January 1, 1983 – January 1, 1989
								John Weatherly (Kings Mountain)	Republican	January 1, 1989 – January 1, 1991
								William Withrow (Ellenboro)	Democratic	January 1, 1991 – January 1, 1993
								John Weatherly (Kings Mountain)	Republican	January 1, 1993 – January 1, 1999	Lost re-election	1993–2003 All of Rutherford and Cleveland counties. Parts of Polk and Gaston counties.^[3]
Debbie Clary (Cherryville)	Republican	January 1, 1995 – January 1, 2003	Redistricted to the 110th district.
				Andy Dedmon (Earl)	Democratic	January 1, 1997 – January 1, 2003	Redistricted to the 111th district and lost re-election.
								Jim Horn (Shelby)	Democratic	January 1, 1999 – January 1, 2001	Lost re-election.
								John Weatherly (Kings Mountain)	Republican	January 1, 2001 – January 1, 2003	Redistricted to the 110th district and retired to run for State Senate.

Single-member district

Representative	Party	Dates	Notes	Counties
Donald Bonner (Rowland)	Democratic	January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2005	Redistricted from the 87th district Retired.	2003–2013 Parts of Hoke, Scotland, and Robeson counties.^[4]^[5]
Garland Pierce (Wagram)	Democratic	January 1, 2005 – Present
				2013–2019 Parts of Richmond, Hoke, Scotland, and Robeson counties.^[6]
				2019–Present All of Hoke and Scotland counties.^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]

Election results

2024

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district Republican primary election, 2024^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ralph Carter	2,262	53.86%
	Republican	Melissa Swarbrick	1,563	37.21%
	Republican	James Diaz	375	8.93%
Total votes			4,200	100%

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2024^[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce (incumbent)	18,845	51.92%
	Republican	Ralph Carter	17,453	48.08%
Total votes			36,298	100%
	Democratic hold

2022

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2022^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce (incumbent)	12,073	53.52%
	Republican	Melissa Swarbrick	10,486	46.48%
Total votes			22,559	100%
	Democratic hold

2020

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2020^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce (incumbent)	19,674	55.93%
	Republican	Johnny H. Boyles	15,504	44.07%
Total votes			35,178	100%
	Democratic hold

2018

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district Republican primary election, 2018^[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Russell Walker	824	64.83%
	Republican	John W. Imbaratto	447	35.17%
Total votes			1,271	100%

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2018^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce (incumbent)	14,619	62.85%
	Republican	Russell Walker	8,641	37.15%
Total votes			23,260	100%
	Democratic hold

2016

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2016^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce (incumbent)	24,076	100%
Total votes			24,076	100%
	Democratic hold

2014

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2014^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce (incumbent)	16,119	100%
Total votes			16,119	100%
	Democratic hold

2012

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2012^[19]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce (incumbent)	27,193	100%
Total votes			27,193	100%
	Democratic hold

2010

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2010^[20]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce (incumbent)	9,698	74.80%
	Republican	John F. Harry	3,267	25.20%
Total votes			12,965	100%
	Democratic hold

2008

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2008^[21]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce (incumbent)	20,362	100%
Total votes			20,362	100%
	Democratic hold

2006

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2006^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce (incumbent)	8,714	100%
Total votes			8,714	100%
	Democratic hold

2004

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district Democratic primary election, 2004^[23]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce	2,683	40.88%
	Democratic	J.D. Willis	2,559	38.99%
	Democratic	Russell C. Smith	1,321	20.13%
Total votes			6,563	100%

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2004^[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Garland Pierce	15,924	100%
Total votes			15,924	100%
	Democratic hold

2002

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2002^[25]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Donald Bonner (incumbent)	9,968	100%
Total votes			9,968	100%
	Democratic hold

2000

North Carolina House of Representatives 48th district general election, 2000^[26]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Debbie Clary (incumbent)	35,545	19.71%
	Democratic	Andy Dedmon (incumbent)	32,641	18.10%
	Republican	John Weatherly	31,200	17.30%
	Democratic	Jim Horn (incumbent)	28,952	16.06%
	Republican	Dennis H. Davis	27,563	15.29%
	Democratic	Connie Goforth-Greene	24,420	13.54%
Total votes			180,321	100%
	Republican hold
	Democratic hold
	Republican gain from Democratic

References

^ "State House District 48, NC". Census Reporter. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
^ J. D. Lewis (2014). "North Carolina State House of Representatives Districts Map - 1985 to 1992". Retrieved August 17, 2022.
^ "1992 House Base Plan 5" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
^ "Interim House Redistricting Plan For N.C. 2002 Election" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
^ "House Redistricting Plan" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
^ "Lewis-Dollar-Dockham 4" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
^ "2018 House Election Districts" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
^ "HB 1020, 2nd Edition - 2019 House Remedial Map" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
^ "S.L. 2022-4 House" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
^ "SS.L. 2023-149 House" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
^ [1] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [2] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [3] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [4] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [5] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [6] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [7] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [8] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [9] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [10] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [11] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [12] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [13] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [14] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ [15] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
^ "NC State House 048". Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 17, 2022.

[1] "State House District 48, NC". Census Reporter. Retrieved April 12, 2025.

[2] J. D. Lewis (2014). "North Carolina State House of Representatives Districts Map - 1985 to 1992". Retrieved August 17, 2022.

[3] "1992 House Base Plan 5" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.

[4] "Interim House Redistricting Plan For N.C. 2002 Election" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.

[5] "House Redistricting Plan" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.

[6] "Lewis-Dollar-Dockham 4" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.

[7] "2018 House Election Districts" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.

[8] "HB 1020, 2nd Edition - 2019 House Remedial Map" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 17, 2022.

[9] "S.L. 2022-4 House" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved April 12, 2025.

[10] "SS.L. 2023-149 House" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved April 12, 2025.

[11] [1] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[12] [2] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[13] [3] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[14] [4] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[15] [5] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[16] [6] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[17] [7] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[18] [8] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[19] [9] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[20] [10] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[21] [11] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[22] [12] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[23] [13] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[24] [14] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[25] [15] North Carolina State Board of Elections.

[26] "NC State House 048". Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 17, 2022.

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v t e Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives
157th General Assembly (2025–2026) Speaker of the House Destin Hall (R) Speaker pro tempore Sarah Stevens (R) Majority Leader John Bell (R) Minority Leader Robert Reives (D)
▌Ed Goodwin (R) ▌Ray Jeffers (D) ▌Steve Tyson (R) ▌Jimmy Dixon (R) ▌Bill Ward (R) ▌Joe Pike (R) ▌Matthew Winslow (R) ▌Gloristine Brown (D) ▌Timothy Reeder (R) ▌John Bell (R) ▌Allison Dahle (D) ▌Chris Humphrey (R) ▌Celeste Cairns (R) ▌Wyatt Gable (R) ▌Phil Shepard (R) ▌Carson Smith (R) ▌Frank Iler (R) ▌Deb Butler (D) ▌Charlie Miller (R) ▌Ted Davis Jr. (R) ▌Ya Liu (D) ▌William Brisson (R) ▌Shelly Willingham (D) ▌Dante Pittman (D) ▌Allen Chesser (R) ▌Donna McDowell White (R) ▌Rodney Pierce (D) ▌Larry Strickland (R) ▌Vernetta Alston (D) ▌Marcia Morey (D) ▌Zack Forde-Hawkins (D) ▌Bryan Cohn (D) ▌Monika Johnson-Hostler (D) ▌Tim Longest (D) ▌Mike Schietzelt (R) ▌Julie von Haefen (D) ▌Erin Paré (R) ▌Abe Jones (D) ▌James Roberson (D) ▌Phil Rubin (D) ▌Maria Cervania (D) ▌Mike Colvin (D) ▌Diane Wheatley (R) ▌Charles Smith (D) ▌Frances Jackson (D) ▌Brenden Jones (R) ▌Jarrod Lowery (R) ▌Garland Pierce (D) ▌Cynthia Ball (D) ▌Renee Price (D) ▌John Sauls (R) ▌Ben Moss (R) ▌Howard Penny Jr. (R) ▌Robert Reives (D) ▌Mark Brody (R) ▌Allen Buansi (D) ▌Tracy Clark (D) ▌Amos Quick (D) ▌Alan Branson (R) ▌Cecil Brockman (D) ▌Pricey Harrison (D) ▌John Blust (R) ▌Stephen Ross (R) ▌Dennis Riddell (R) ▌Reece Pyrtle (R) ▌Sarah Crawford (D) ▌Cody Huneycutt (R) ▌David Willis (R) ▌Dean Arp (R) ▌Brian Biggs (R) ▌Kanika Brown (D) ▌Amber Baker (D) ▌Jonathan Almond (R) ▌Jeff Zenger (R) ▌Donny Lambeth (R) ▌Harry Warren (R) ▌Julia Craven Howard (R) ▌Neal Jackson (R) ▌Keith Kidwell (R) ▌Sam Watford (R) ▌Larry Potts (R) ▌Brian Echevarria (R) ▌Grant Campbell (R) ▌Jeffrey McNeely (R) ▌Dudley Greene (R) ▌Hugh Blackwell (R) ▌Destin Hall (R) ▌Mary Belk (D) ▌Mitchell Setzer (R) ▌Sarah Stevens (R) ▌Kyle Hall (R) ▌Terry Brown (D) ▌Ray Pickett (R) ▌Blair Eddins (R) ▌Todd Carver (R) ▌Jay Adams (R) ▌Heather Rhyne (R) ▌Beth Gardner Helfrich (D) ▌Nasif Majeed (D) ▌Julia Greenfield (D) ▌Carolyn Logan (D) ▌Becky Carney (D) ▌Laura Budd (D) ▌Brandon Lofton (D) ▌Tricia Cotham (R) ▌Carla Cunningham (D) ▌Aisha Dew (D) ▌John Torbett (R) ▌Donnie Loftis (R) ▌Kelly Hastings (R) ▌Paul Scott (R) ▌Jordan Lopez (D) ▌Jake Johnson (R) ▌Eric Ager (D) ▌Lindsey Prather (D) ▌Brian Turner (D) ▌Jennifer Balkcom (R) ▌Mark Pless (R) ▌Mike Clampitt (R) ▌Karl Gillespie (R)
▌Republican (71) ▌Democratic (49) North Carolina General Assembly North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina Senate