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.^[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%.