{"biography":"LeVon Barnes is the Democratic candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives, District 64, on the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 ballot. He previously ran for the same seat in 2024, earning 45.2% of the vote against incumbent Republican Dennis Riddell [1].\n\nBarnes 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\u2011education teacher for Durham Public Schools during his 2017 Durham city\u2011council campaign, serving as head men\u2019s basketball coach and associate dean of students at Lackawanna College, and as an assistant men\u2019s basketball coach and adjunct instructor for the Dallas County Community College District [1].\n\nBeyond the classroom, Barnes is active in several civic groups, including Alpha\u202fPhi\u202fAlpha 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 \u201cservant leadership\u201d from his parents and from the broader village that supported his family after his father\u2019s death when Barnes was nine [9].\n\nBarnes\u2019s campaign platform focuses on making Alamance County more affordable and accountable. Key priorities listed on his campaign website include \u201cAffordability: Making Alamance Livable Again,\u201d \u201cGovernment Accountability,\u201d \u201cEducation Equality,\u201d \u201cCommunity Investment and Resiliency,\u201d \u201cProtecting What We\u2019ve Built,\u201d and \u201cReproductive Equality\u201d \u2013 a set of policies aimed at lowering living costs, improving public\u2011school funding, and safeguarding reproductive rights [5].\n\nIn 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].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [LeVon Barnes - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/LeVon_Barnes)\n- [4] [iVoterGuide - LeVon Barnes iVoterGuide Profile](https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/79768/race/8435/election/1206)\n- [5] [Coach LeVon Barnes for NC House](https://www.levonfornc.com/)\n- [6] [Endorsements for LeVon Barnes - North Carolina Democratic Party Candidate](https://bluevoterguide.org/NC/candidate_LeVon_Barnes/288879)\n- [9] [About Coach Barnes](https://www.levonfornc.com/about)\n- [10] [Coach LeVon Barnes for NC](https://www.facebook.com/LeVonforNC/posts/it-doesnt-have-to-be-this-hard-there-is-an-easier-way-out-north-carolina-we-cant/1425580899581671/)\n- [11] [Help LeVon Barnes Reach the North Carolina House with a $43 ...](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRBUBmjD8S1/)\n- [15] [LeVon Barnes | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/levon-barnes)\n- [16] [LeVon Barnes - North Carolina Candidate - Transparency USA](https://www.transparencyusa.org/nc/candidate/levon-barnes)\n- [18] [The Committee to Elect Levon Barnes - North Carolina Committee - Transparency USA](https://www.transparencyusa.org/nc/committee/the-committee-to-elect-levon-barnes-sta-yq2gm4-c-001)\n- [19] [Why We Run: LeVon Barnes. LeVon Barnes is 34-year-old an\u2026 | by Run for Something | Why We Run (And You Can, Too!) | Medium](https://medium.com/why-we-run-young-people-in-government/why-we-run-levon-barnes-661b87f0c63)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_064","county":"alamance","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 064"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Levon","fullname":"Levon Ivan Barnes","lastname":"Barnes","middlename":"Ivan","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_064","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 064","county":"alamance","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_064","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 064","county":"alamance","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":"LeVon Barnes, a teacher and coach, is the Democratic candidate for NC House District\u202f64 in 2026, emphasizing affordability, education equity, and government accountability.","terms":[],"token":"bd5afb2eca51da4d"}