Yvonne Lewis Holley (born August 12, 1952) is an American politician who served as the North Carolina state representative for the 38th district from 2013 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, her district consisted of part of

Wake County Wake County, officially the County of Wake, is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake Count ...

. She was the Democratic nominee for

lieutenant governor of North Carolina The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member of ...

in the 2020 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election, which she narrowly lost to Mark Robinson.

Early life and education

Holley is the daughter of

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

broadcast personality J.D. Lewis of

WRAL-TV WRAL-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Research Triangle area. It is the flagship station of the locally based Capitol Broadcasting Company, which has ...

. She attended

William G. Enloe High School William G. Enloe GT/IB Magnet Center for the Humanities, Sciences and the Arts, also known as Enloe Magnet High School or Enloe High School, is a public magnet high school offering Gifted & Talented and International Baccalaureate programs lo ...

and graduated from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

, with a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in political science and government in 1974.

Career

Before her career as a state legislator, she worked for the

North Carolina Department of Administration The North Carolina Department of Administration was established in 1957 and authorized by North Carolina General Statute 143B, Article 9, Paragraph 143B-366. The department provides business management to the North Carolina government. NCDOA is o ...

, division of purchase and contract, as a procurement and contract specialist. In 2020, governor

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III ( ; born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 75th List of governors of North Carolina, governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), De ...

appointed Holley to the Andrea Harris social, economic, environmental, and health equity task force.

2020 campaign for lieutenant governor

Holley unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor of North Carolina in the 2020 election. She placed first in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2020, but with less than the 30 percent required to avoid the possibility of a runoff. The second-place finisher, Terry Van Duyn, declined to call for a runoff, however, making Holley the Democratic nominee. Holley campaigned on what she called an Affordable Living Initiative (ALI), which would bring together "public/private partnerships, non-profits, urban and rural governments, legislators, environmentalists, homebuilders, and everyday citizens to help solve some of the problems that have become critical needs in communities across NC. ALI will focus on the following: attainable housing; access to affordable and healthy food; jobs (living wages, entrepreneurial, small business, and workforce development); and transportation."IndyWeek (Independent Weekly) Candidate Questionnaire: Yvonne Holley, Lieutenant Governor
/ref> Holley lost the general election to the Republican candidate, Mark Robinson, 51%-48%.

Election History

2020

2018

2016

2014

2012

References

External links

Representative Yvonne Lewis Holley
government website
Holley for Lt. Governor
campaign website * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Holley, Yvonne 1952 births 21st-century American women politicians Living people Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Enloe High School alumni Howard University alumni Women state legislators in North Carolina African-American people in North Carolina politics 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American women politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly