Linda Coleman (born July 12, 1949) is an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

from the state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. Coleman was elected to three terms as a Democratic state representative in the North Carolina General Assembly before being appointed Director of the Office of State Personnel by the Governor in 2009.

Early life and education

She attended public schools in Greenville and

North Carolina A&T University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...

. She later earned a master's degree in public administration. Her first job out of college was as a classroom teacher.

Early political career and state legislature

Before serving in the North Carolina House of Representatives, Coleman was a Wake County Commissioner for four years, and worked as human resources management director at the State Departments of Agriculture and Administration and as personnel director for the Department of Community Colleges. In the legislature, she represented Eastern

Wake County, North Carolina Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

. Coleman was elected for the first time in 2004 and re-elected in 2006 and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. In her first term, she served as chair of her freshman class in the North Carolina House Democratic Caucus.

Electoral history

2018 U.S. House election

Coleman was the Democratic nominee for

North Carolina's 2nd congressional district North Carolina's 2nd congressional district is located in the central part of the state. The district contains most of Wake County. Prior to court-mandated redistricting in 2019, it also included northern Johnston County, southern Nash County, ...

in the 2018 general election. She was narrowly defeated by incumbent Republican

George Holding George Edward Bell Holding (born April 17, 1968) is an American politician, lawyer, and former federal prosecutor who is a former United States Representative for North Carolina's 2nd congressional district from 2017 to 2021. He previously repr ...

2016 lieutenant gubernatorial election

Coleman ran for Lieutenant Governor again in 2016. She won the Democratic primary on March 15 with approximately 51 percent of the vote over three challengers. Coleman was defeated again by Forest in the November rematch.

2012 lieutenant gubernatorial election

Coleman ran for

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member o ...

in the 2012 election, and had the backing of the State Employees Association of North Carolina. The '' News and Observer'' also endorsed Coleman, calling her "the better-qualified and more moderate choice." She lost the general election by a narrow margin to Republican

Dan Forest Dan Forest (born October 15, 1967) is an American politician who served as the 34th lieutenant governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2021. He is the son of former congresswoman Sue Myrick. An architect by trade, he was the Republican nominee ...

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2008

2006

2004

References

External links

News & Observer: Perdue appoints Coleman to PersonnelCampaign site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Linda 1949 births Living people People from Greenville, North Carolina People from Wake County, North Carolina North Carolina A&T State University alumni University of Pittsburgh alumni 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women 21st-century American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century American women politicians African-American state legislators in North Carolina Women state legislators in North Carolina County commissioners in North Carolina Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Candidates in the 2018 United States elections