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.[1][2] She was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of North Carolina in the 2020 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election, which she narrowly lost to Mark Robinson.

Yvonne Holley
official portrait, 2017
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 38th district
In office
January 1, 2013 – January 1, 2021
Preceded byHarold Brubaker
Succeeded byAbe Jones
Personal details
Born (1952-01-27) January 27, 1952 (age 72)
Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationHoward University (BA)

Early life and education

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Holley is the daughter of Raleigh broadcast personality J.D. Lewis of WRAL-TV.[3][4] She attended William G. Enloe High School and graduated from Howard University, with a B.A. in political science and government in 1974.[5][6]

Career

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Before her career as a state legislator, she worked for the North Carolina Department of Administration, division of purchase and contract, as a procurement and contract specialist.[7] In 2020, governor Roy Cooper appointed Holley to the Andrea Harris social, economic, environmental, and health equity task force.[8]

2020 campaign for lieutenant governor

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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.[9] The second-place finisher, Terry Van Duyn, declined to call for a runoff, however, making Holley the Democratic nominee.[10]

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."[11]

Holley lost the general election to the Republican candidate, Mark Robinson, 51%-48%.

References

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  1. ^ "Yvonne Lewis Holley". April 18, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  2. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  3. ^ "State House, part two". Raleigh News & Observer. October 24, 2016.
  4. ^ "JD Lewis". CBC History.
  5. ^ "Information about Wake County and Statewide Races". PoliticaNC. September 24, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  6. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart.
  7. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart.
  8. ^ Governor Cooper Names Members of Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental, and Health Equity Task Force
  9. ^ WRAL.com: Surprise of the night in NC politics? The LG's race
  10. ^ WRAL.com: No runoff in Democratic LG primary, Wake's Holley wins
  11. ^ IndyWeek (Independent Weekly) Candidate Questionnaire: Yvonne Holley, Lieutenant Governor
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  Media related to Yvonne Lewis Holley at Wikimedia Commons

North Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 38th district

2013–2021
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
2020
Succeeded by