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 represented the 13th District from 2013 to 2017. Holding is a member of the Republican Party. The district Holding represented stretched from just southwest of Raleigh to just east of Rocky Mount. He served as the United States Attorney for North Carolina's Eastern District from 2006 to 2011.

Holding announced in December 2019 that he would not run for re-election in 2020, after court-mandated redistricting made the district significantly more Democratic.

On September 9, 2025, Holding was nominated to be the US Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development by President Donald Trump.

Early life, education, and early law career The youngest of five children, Holding grew up in Raleigh. He is a member of the Holding family which founded the First Citizens Bank in Smithfield. He attended the Groton School in Massachusetts. He attended Wake Forest University, studying Classics. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, he studied law at Wake Forest University School of Law. During law school, he met his future wife, Lucy Herriott. They married after graduating and returned to Raleigh where Holding practiced law with Kilpatrick Stockton. Holding remained as U.S. Attorney for two and a half years into the Obama administration in order to complete a number of political corruption cases.

During Holding's tenure as U.S. Attorney, former North Carolina Governor Mike Easley pleaded guilty to a campaign finance felony that followed a lengthy federal investigation. Holding oversaw the prosecution of former U.S. Senator John Edwards on campaign-finance charges; in 2012, Edwards was acquitted on one count, and the jury deadlocked on five other counts. The Justice Department decided not to retry Edwards on the counts that the jury deadlocked on.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2012

After his resignation as U.S. Attorney in 2011, Holding announced his candidacy for Congress in North Carolina's 13th congressional district. The district had been significantly redrawn to be more compact and Republican than its predecessor. The old 13th ran along a portion of the Virginia border, but extended two tendrils into Greensboro and Raleigh. The new 13th covered eastern Raleigh, as well as suburban and exurban areas to the east. Holding was endorsed by multiple conservative business and civic leaders, including N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake and former U.S. Senator Lauch Faircloth.

Holding won the Republican primary in May. He defeated former Raleigh Mayor Paul Coble. In the general election, he won the seat with 57% of the vote.

2014

Holding was unopposed in the Republican primary for re-election. He won the general election against his Democratic challenger, Brenda Cleary, a registered nurse and former executive director of the North Carolina Center for Nursing, 57%-43%.

2016

Following court-ordered redistricting in 2016, a large portion of the 13th was merged into the neighboring 2nd district. Holding's home was located in the 4th district under the new map, just outside the new 2nd's borders. However, congressional candidates are only required to live in the state they wish to represent. Holding decided to run in the 2nd district against the incumbent, fellow Republican Renee Ellmers, in the primary. The newly drawn district encompassed outer portions of Raleigh, many of its northern and southern suburbs, along with parts of rural Harnett, Johnston, Wilson, Nash, and Franklin counties.

During the primary campaign, Holding was endorsed by the American Conservative Union and the anti-abortion N.C. Values Coalition, and the Club for Growth and the Koch brothers' Americans for Prosperity ran ads against Ellmers. In the June 2016 primary, Holding defeated Ellmers, 53.4% to 23.6%, with a third candidate, Greg Brannon, receiving 23.0% of the vote.

In the November 2016 general election, Holding defeated Democratic nominee John McNeil, receiving 56.7% to McNeil's 43.3%.

2018

In 2018, the Cook Political Report rated the congressional race in the 2nd district as "lean Republican." Libertarian Party candidate Jeff Matemu received 2.9% of the vote.

2020

After a North Carolina state judge issued a preliminary injunction forbidding the use of the 2016 congressional map for the 2020 elections, the state legislature drew a new map. Holding's district was made significantly more Democratic than its predecessor. by comparison, Donald Trump had carried the old 2nd with 53 percent of the vote. On paper, the new map turned the 2nd from a Republican-leaning district into one of the most Democratic white-majority districts in the South.

Even before the new map was issued, state and national Democrats viewed the 2nd as a potential pickup opportunity for Democrats due to the close 2018 contest. Three Democrats sought the congressional nomination.

Tenure During Donald Trump's presidency, Holding voted in line with the president's stated position 90.5% of the time.

Holding opposes abortion, and during his 2016 Republican primary battle against Representative Renee Ellmers, Holding received the support of two major anti-abortion groups, the Susan B. Anthony List and the National Right to Life Committee. In 2017, Holding voted for legislation to ban abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy. During his 2018 re-election campaign, Holding incorrectly claimed that "we’re all paying 100 percent more" on health insurance premiums due to the ACA; in fact, only 2 to 5 percent of Americans were affected by premium increases related to the ACA's individual market, which is the smallest health insurance market.

On December 18, 2019, Holding voted against both articles of impeachment against Trump. Of the 195 Republicans who voted, all voted against both impeachment articles.

Committee assignments Holding's committee assignments were as follows:

113th Congress (2013–15): Foreign Affairs; Judiciary 114th Congress (2015–17): Ways and Means 115th Congress (2017–19): Ways and Means 116th Congress (2019–21): Ways and Means, Budget, Ethics

Caucus memberships Holding was a member of the Republican Study Committee, Congressional Western Caucus, International Conservation Caucus, and U.S.-Japan Caucus. Holding was the House Republican chair of the British-American Parliamentary Group, which maintained ties between the U.S. Congress and the British Parliament, and was co-chair of the Congressional U.K. Caucus; in theses roles, Holding had led congressional delegations to Britain and commented on Brexit.

Post-congressional career Private sector In 2021, Holding was hired to work as a managing director of government relations for Blackstone Inc. In March 2025, he was appointed to the board of directors of Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. In July 2026 he resigned that position.

U.S. Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Holding was nominated to be the U.S. Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development by President Donald Trump on September 9, 2025.

Awards

In July 2022, he was awarded as Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), for services to UK -US Relations.

Personal life George is married to Lucy Holding, who was born in England. They have four children. Holding is a Baptist.