Marlenis Hernandez Novoa

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Marlenis Hernandez Novoa

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 5, 2024

Education

Associate

Miami Dade College, 1997

Bachelor's

University of Phoenix, 2017

Graduate

University of Phoenix, 2019

Personal

Birthplace

Hialeah, Fla.

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Healthcare Executive

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Marlenis Hernandez Novoa (Republican Party) ran for election for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. She lost in the Republican primary on March 5, 2024.

Hernandez Novoa completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Marlenis Hernandez Novoa was born in Hialeah, Florida. She earned an associate degree from Miami Dade College in 1997, a bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix in 2017, and a graduate degree from the University of Phoenix in 2019. Her career experience includes working as a healthcare executive.

Hernandez Novoa has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Women's Republican Party
• The Female Lead

Elections

2024

See also: North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2024

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

Rachel Hunt defeated Hal Weatherman, Shannon Bray, and Wayne Jones in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rachel Hunt (D)	49.5	2,768,539
		Hal Weatherman (R)	47.6	2,663,183
		Shannon Bray (L)	1.9	104,192
		Wayne Jones (Constitution Party)	1.0	53,938

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,589,852
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jason Nicholson (Independent)
• Dee Watson (L)

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

Hal Weatherman defeated Jim O'Neill in the Republican primary runoff for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Hal Weatherman	74.3	96,600
		Jim O'Neill	25.7	33,448

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 130,048
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

Rachel Hunt defeated Ben Clark and Mark H. Robinson in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rachel Hunt	70.4	477,196
		Ben Clark	16.5	111,836
		Mark H. Robinson	13.2	89,247

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 678,279
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Chris Rey (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Hal Weatherman	19.6	181,818
✔		Jim O'Neill	15.8	147,042
		Deanna Ballard	15.0	138,822
		Seth Woodall	11.0	102,492
		Sam Page	10.2	94,810
		Allen Mashburn	9.0	83,550
		Jeffrey Elmore	8.6	79,883
		Peter Boykin	3.5	32,126
		Rivera Douthit	2.5	23,398
		Ernest Reeves	2.5	22,760
		Marlenis Hernandez Novoa	2.3	21,404

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 928,105
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Dee Watson advanced from the Libertarian primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hernandez Novoa in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Marlenis Hernandez Novoa completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hernandez Novoa's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am the First Hispanic professional woman to run for Lt Governor in North Carolina. I am a Paramedic and a Firefighter in multiple states. Small Business Owner in Healthcare, VP of HiveMind AI/Healthcare, Bachelor of Science, Management and a Masters in Health Care Administration with a concentration in Clinical. I have my certs in FEMA, Homeland Security, Elevator Certified and Inspector. I have 4 children and Married for 25 years this December 2023.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Education, Children's rights. Parent's rights. These are key issues that concern all citizens of North Carolina.
• Equal Acess for all NC citizens for competent, professional, affordable healthcare.
• Access for all NC citizens, higher education, job opportunities. Common sense approach to immigration. Address our agricultural needs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, Healthcare, Immigration, State infrastructure and Department of Transportation Budget.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The office of Lt. Gov. offers the incumbent the option for oversight on legislative bills before the General Assembly, and--working with the state auditor--provides the incumbent the authority to require audits of expenditures, and--along with other legislative issues affecting the farming and business communities throughout the state--indicates that the office of the Lt. Gov. can have a direct influence on the successful budgeting of state revenues and expenses. The position also offers the Lt. Gov. direct input with the state Board of Education regarding the successful development and operation of community colleges and public schools. These are all responsibilities which I will aggressively address as Lt. Gov. of North Carolina.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Foremost, a person elected to public office must demonstrate personal character traits of integrity. That speaks to being someone whose word can be trusted. It is also necessary an elected official to be well-informed about issues affecting his/her constituents, and to have an open and empathetic ear to their concerns. A public official must demonstrate professional management skills that ensures constituents that the official’s office is competent, well-run, and is fully engaged and involved with the most relevant issues affecting the state and its residents. Without these character traits and professional expertise, it is not likely that the elected official will effectively succeed in office.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave here knowing that I did everything in my power to make the world a better place and hopefully encourage others to do the same.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Ronald Reagan came to my classroom when I was 5 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Chiquita Banana. DOT / Port (4 years)

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

We are the world - it popped up on IG post

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Without question, the state cannot operate successfully without a balanced budget. The role of the Lt. Gov. enables the incumbent to leverage the authority of the office to coordinate efforts across all other state offices to make sure that state revenues are properly budgeted and accounted for. As President of the state Senate, and as a member of the state Capital Planning Commission, the Lt. Gov. has direct influence on the conduct and efficiency of these offices, and how the impact of those state operations affects the financial well-being of the state and its citizens.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. It is highly unlikely that anyone running for public office is unaware of the intricacies and intrigues that so often burdens the successful functioning of the government. It would suggest a stunning amount of naivete to suggest that only someone with prior experience in government or politics is capable of succeeding in elected office. To the contrary, it is all-too-often noted that private sector experience brings a wealth of new insight, ideas, and energies into public office that ultimately enables the more successful operations and development of those public offices.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Chief of Fire Departments

Captains of Fire Departments.

Local Business Owners

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Novoa’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Healthcare Healthcare premiums have risen by more than 32 percent since 2012. As a healthcare professional Marlenis understands what it takes to reform the healthcare system. Marlenis will work hard to make healthcare affordable for all North Carolinians. We need leaders who will reform and fix our healthcare system, not destroy it with more bureaucracy. Marlenis knows what it takes to fix healthcare and will fight to bring affordable care to all North Carolinians. Drugs / Crime As a Medical Worker, Marlenis has seen the devastation of drug abuse first-hand. We need to stop the problem at its root by providing the police with the support they need, and enacting new, tough laws against the sale and distribution of fentanyl and other strong opiates. Education Our schools are outdated and dysfunctional. We currently have a $13 billion backlog in improvements, renovations, and construction that is held up in red tape, bureaucracy and partisan bickering. Additionally, teachers are being paid on average $9,000 less per year than the national average. Marlenis believes our students and our teachers deserve better. She will fight to improve our education system, cut through the government bureaucracy, and restore the promise of our education system. Economy The Biden administration has done the unacceptable! No family should pay seven dollars for a carton of eggs. Marlenis will do everything in her power to make life more affordable in North Carolina- lower taxes, cut red tape, and push the federal government to quit the nonsense.	”
—Marlenis Hernandez Novoa’s campaign website (2024)

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Marlenis Hernandez Novoa campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina	Lost primary	$11,769	$1,411
Grand total			$11,769	$1,411
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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Candidate

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

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