Levon Ivan Barnes

LeVon Barnes is the Democratic candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives, District 64, on the November 3, 2026 ballot. He previously ran for the same seat in 2024, earning 45.2% of the vote against incumbent Republican Dennis Riddell ¹.

Barnes earned a Bachelor of Science in physical education teaching and coaching from Campbell University in 2004 and a Master of Education in health and physical education from Prairie View A&M University in 2008 ¹. He has spent his career in education and athletics, working as a physical‑education teacher for Durham Public Schools during his 2017 Durham city‑council campaign, serving as head men’s basketball coach and associate dean of students at Lackawanna College, and as an assistant men’s basketball coach and adjunct instructor for the Dallas County Community College District ¹.

Beyond the classroom, Barnes is active in several civic groups, including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership, and the Leadership Triangle Transforming Leaders Goodmon Fellowship ¹. His personal narrative emphasizes community service: he describes himself as a father, husband, teacher, and coach who grew up learning “servant leadership” from his parents and from the broader village that supported his family after his father’s death when Barnes was nine ⁹.

Barnes’s campaign platform focuses on making Alamance County more affordable and accountable. Key priorities listed on his campaign website include “Affordability: Making Alamance Livable Again,” “Government Accountability,” “Education Equality,” “Community Investment and Resiliency,” “Protecting What We’ve Built,” and “Reproductive Equality” – a set of policies aimed at lowering living costs, improving public‑school funding, and safeguarding reproductive rights ⁵.

In the 2024 election, Barnes was defeated by Riddell, who captured 54.8% of the vote while Barnes received 45.2% (44,753 total votes) ¹. The 2026 Democratic primary was canceled, allowing Barnes to advance automatically to the general election, where he will again face Riddell ¹.

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