Jessica Holmes (born 1983/1984) is an American attorney and politician, who has served as

North Carolina State Auditor The State Auditor of North Carolina is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The state auditor is a constitutional officer responsible for overseeing and reviewing the financial accounts of all state government agencie ...

since December 16, 2023, having filled the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Beth Wood Beth A. Wood (born April 22, 1954) is an American politician and accountant serving as the Auditor of North Carolina since 2009. A Democrat, she is the first woman to hold the office. Born in New Bern, she initially worked as a dental hygienist b ...

Early life and education

Jessica Holmes grew up in

Pender County, North Carolina Pender County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,203. Its county seat is Burgaw. Pender County is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The county ...

and was raised by her grandmother. She received her undergraduate and

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degrees from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

Career

Holmes was sworn in to her seat on the

Wake County Board of Commissioners The Wake County Board of Commissioners is the governing board for Wake County, which includes the City of Raleigh. As of the 2010 census, the population of Wake County was 900,993 making it North Carolina's second most populated county. Its county ...

on December 1, 2014. She was unanimously elected chair of the board on December 4, 2017. On December 6, 2017, she announced her intention to resign from the board to accept a job offer, but rescinded her announcement the following day, citing complaints from constituents. In

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, Holmes ran for the office of

North Carolina Commissioner of Labor The Commissioner of Labor is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The commissioner is a constitutional officer who leads the state's Department of Labor. North Carolina's general statues provide the commissioner with br ...

as a Democrat, losing to Republican

Josh Dobson Josh Dobson (born July 19, 1981) is an American politician, currently serving as North Carolina Commissioner of Labor. He previously served in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Early life and education Dobson was born on July 19, 1981 ...

. In November of 2023, Governor

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III (born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician, serving as the 75th governor of North Carolina since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th attorney general of North Carolina from 20 ...

announced Holmes as his pick to finish the term of State Auditor

, who resigned, effective mid-December. She was sworn-in on December 16. Holmes is the first Black woman to serve on the

North Carolina Council of State The North Carolina Council of State is the collective body of ten elective executive offices in the state government of North Carolina, all of which are established by the state constitution. The Council of State includes the Governor, Lieut ...

Electoral history

2020

2018

2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Jessica 1980s births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians County commissioners in North Carolina North Carolina Democrats North Carolina lawyers People from Pender County, North Carolina State Auditors of North Carolina University of North Carolina School of Law alumni Women in North Carolina politics Living people