{"biography":"Ya Liu is the incumbent Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District\u202f21, covering parts of western Wake County. She is on the ballot for re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election, having advanced automatically after the March\u202f3,\u202f2026 Democratic primary was cancelled [1].\n\nBorn Guangya Liu in Henan, China, in 1980 or 1981, Liu immigrated to the United States in 2003. She earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in sociology from Nankai University, a Ph.D. in sociology from North Carolina State University, and a J.D. from North Carolina Central University [6]. Liu is an attorney and small\u2011business owner, and she has taught at Duke Law School as a faculty member before entering elected office [1][19].\n\nLiu\u2019s first elected position was on the Cary Town Council, representing District\u202fD from December\u202f2019 until she took office in the state legislature on January\u202f1,\u202f2023. She was the first Asian\u2011American elected to the Cary council and the first Chinese\u2011American woman to serve in the North Carolina General Assembly [1][6][19]. While on the council she advocated for business development, infrastructure growth, public transit, senior services, and environmentally friendly policies [8][15].\n\nIn the 2022 election Liu won the newly created District\u202f21 seat with 67.7\u202f% of the vote, defeating Republican Gerard\u202fFalzon and Libertarian Joshua\u202fMorris [6]. She was re\u2011elected in 2024, capturing 62.8\u202f% of the vote against Republican Bryson\u202fJohnson [1]. During the 2023\u20112024 legislative session she served on the Appropriations Committee, the Appropriations \u2013 Health and Human Services Committee, the Banking Committee, the Families, Children, and Aging Policy Committee, and the Health Committee [1][6]. In the 2025\u20112026 session she was appointed House Democratic Whip (Minority Whip) [3][6].\n\nLiu has introduced a range of bills, including the \u201cFair Maps Act\u201d (HB\u202f20), the \u201cGun Violence Prevention Act\u201d (HB\u202f28), and legislation to make Election Day a state holiday (HB\u202f31) among others focused on veterans, consumer protection, and Medicaid dental rates [4]. She has also sponsored resolutions honoring public servants and supporting disaster recovery efforts [1].\n\nHer campaign messaging emphasizes breaking the Republican super\u2011majority in the General Assembly, expanding access to affordable health care, fully funding public schools, raising teacher salaries, and supporting working families and small businesses. Liu highlights her personal immigrant story, her two doctoral degrees, and her experience as a small\u2011business owner and attorney as qualifications for representing her constituents [15][16].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Ya Liu - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Ya_Liu)\n- [2] [North Carolina House of Representatives District 21 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_District_21)\n- [3] [Representative Ya Liu - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/806)\n- [4] [Representative Ya Liu's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/H/806)\n- [6] [Ya Liu - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya_Liu)\n- [8] [Dr. Ya Liu \u2014 Voice for Refuge](https://voiceforrefuge.org/endorsements/dr-ya-liu/)\n- [11] [North Carolina State Rep. Ya Liu - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/442604/Ya_Liu.html)\n- [12] [State Representative Ya Liu | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/28112)\n- [15] [Candidate Info - Ya Liu - Wake County Democratic Party](https://www.wakedems.org/election-central-2024/candidate-info-ya-liu/)\n- [16] [Ya Liu- House District 21](https://nchousedems.com/our-members/ya-liu-house-district-21/)\n- [19] [Ya Liu - North Carolina Leadership Forum](https://sites.duke.edu/nclf/ya-liu/)\n- [20] [North Carolina Representative Ya Liu - FastDemocracy](https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/nc/legislators/NCL000382/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_021","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 021"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Ya","fullname":"Ya Liu","lastname":"Liu","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_021","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 021","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_house_021","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 021","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Ya Liu is the Democratic incumbent for North Carolina House District\u202f21, seeking re\u2011election in 2026 after serving since 2023.","terms":[],"token":"760332bc88f154e3"}