Blue Devils on the ballot: Duke alumni, students and faculty running for office this year

Blue Devils could be on your ballot next week.

These Duke community members — some alumni of the University’s undergraduate and professional schools, others former employees and one a current student — are running for office at various levels and branches of the government this election season.

U.S. Senate

Angela Alsobrooks

Alsobrooks, Trinity ‘93, is running for a seat representing Maryland in the U.S. Senate. She currently serves as executive of Prince George’s County in Maryland.

Alsobrooks received her bachelor’s degree from Duke, double-majoring in public policy studies and Afro-American studies. She was also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

She later received her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1996.

Alsobrooks, a Democrat, remains ahead of her opponent, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, in recent polls.

Alsobrooks has spent her entire political career in Prince George’s County, where she began as an assistant state’s attorney in 1997, later becoming the county’s first full-time prosecutor assigned to domestic violence cases. She was elected state’s attorney in 2010 and was elected to her current position in 2018.

Alsobrooks spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where she served as a delegate for Maryland. She has been endorsed by Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama, among others.

U.S. House of Representatives

Mike Levin

Rep. Levin, Law School ‘05, is running for his fourth term representing California’s 49th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Levin, a Democrat, is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus. He is also the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity in the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, a member of the Subcommittee on Health in the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and a member of the Subcommittees on Federal Lands and on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries in the Committee on Natural Resources.

Scott Peters

Rep. Peters, Trinity ‘80 and a Democrat, is running for his seventh term in the House. He represented California’s 52nd Congressional District until 2023, when his constituency was redistricted into the 50th Congressional District.

Peters received his undergraduate degree from Duke, where he studied economics and political science.

After graduating, he worked as an economist for the Environmental Protection Agency before receiving his Juris Doctor from the New York University School of Law in 1984. He practiced as a lawyer for several years, then served as legal counsel to San Diego County from 1991 to 1996 and as a San Diego City Council member from 2001 to 2008.

Guy Meilleur

Former instructor Meilleur will be on the ballot as the Libertarian candidate for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, which includes Durham County.

While at Duke from 2000 to 2007, he taught numerous courses on “tree physiology, ecology and tree appraisal.” 

N.C. General Assembly

Ray Ubinger

Ubinger, Trinity ‘87, is the Libertarian candidate running to represent the 22nd District in the N.C. State Senate.

Ubinger also ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2018, 2020 and 2022. In 2022, he informed The Chronicle that he was “not asking anyone to vote for [him]” and does not “campaign, accept donations or do questionnaires/forums/interviews/pledges.”

“I am, as my committee name puts it, Just Buying Permission to Vote for Myself,” he wrote in a 2022 email to The Chronicle.

At Duke, he majored in mathematics and was a member of student government and Army ROTC.

Dan Blue Jr.

Incumbent Blue, Law School ‘73, is running for reelection to the N.C. State Senate’s 14th District, a role he has been in since 2009.

He is the current minority leader in the senate as a member of the Democratic Party. In the past, he served as the chair of the Duke University Board of Trustees, the first Black person to hold the position.

Blue previously served in the N.C. House of Representatives from 1996 to 2002 and returned in 2006, serving until he was selected to replace Sen. Vernon Malone after his death in 2009.

Mike Schietzelt

Schietzelt, Law School ‘18, is a Republican running to represent North Carolina’s 35th District in the state House, which includes parts of Wake County. He currently works as an attorney in business litigation.

Ya Liu

Former Duke Law faculty member Liu is an incumbent in the state House running for reelection in North Carolina’s 21st District. She is the first Chinese American to serve in the N.C. General Assembly and one of the first Asian American women to serve in the state House, elected in 2022 alongside Rep. Maria Cervania.

A Democrat, Liu represents parts of Wake County — including Cary — in her current position, which was held by Blue from 1985 to 2003. She previously served as a Cary Town Council member representing Ward D.

N.C. Executive Branch

Mo Green

Green, Trinity ‘88 and Law School ‘91, is the Democratic candidate for North Carolina’s superintendent of public instruction.

Previously, Green was the superintendent of Guilford County Schools — the third-largest district in North Carolina — and also served as general counsel for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

In his undergraduate years at Duke, Green majored in economics and political science. He was also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the Black Student Alliance and Law Moot Court.

Natasha Marcus

Sen. Marcus, Law School ‘94 and a Democrat, currently represents District 41 in the state Senate and is running for N.C. commissioner of insurance. In this four-year position, she would be the head of the N.C. Department of Insurance, as well as the State Fire Marshall.

N.C. Judicial Branch

Jefferson Griffin

Current Duke Law student Griffin is running for an N.C. Supreme Court seat. Griffin, a Republican, is currently a judge on the N.C. Court of Appeals. He is expected to receive his Master of Laws from the Law School in June of 2027.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story reported Griffin's expected graduation date as 2026. The Chronicle regrets the error.

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