North Carolina – The March primary in North Carolina provided at least one big statewide upset for a sitting officeholder. Some would say it was a miracle upset, and no one saw it coming. The stunning upset comes for Republican Catherine Truitt, the current North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, and who most thought was a lock for the November election, with her being the incumbent and outspending her little-known opponent.
Instead, Republican candidate Michele Morrow came out of nowhere and took the right to challenge the Democrat to the seat in the fall. While the two candidates shared many of the same views, there were areas where they were different.
Morrow identifies herself as a conservative activist and a homeschool teacher. She condemns North Carolina public schools for prioritizing sexually explicit content over fundamental subjects like reading and math. According to Morrow, this includes advocating for sexual activity among elementary school children. She encourages people to consult the Pavement Education Project for further details. This organization, known for its conservative stance, aims to exclude books related to sexuality and racism from public school curricula and students.
Incumbent Catherine Truitt, a former teacher and education advisor to then-Gov. Pat McCrory, refutes Morrow’s claims. Truitt asserts that there is no sexually explicit content taught in North Carolina public schools, emphasizing that such material is prohibited by law. She points to clear sex education standards outlined in state law to support her argument.
Apparently, more voters believed Morrow than Truitt. Michele Morrow garnered 455,464 votes, or 52.10%, to Truitt’s 418,783 votes, or 47.90%.
“It’s a great honor. I also recognize it’s a huge responsibility because families are looking to our public educational system to prepare their kids,” Morrow told CBS 17 News four days after her win. “For nearly seven years, I’ve been a passionate advocate for education, known for my commitment to returning to fundamental principles. Regardless of political affiliation, race, or religion, concerns about our schools unite us all,” she stated to CBS 17.
As a mother of five, Morrow has collaborated with voters and elected officials to enact legislation safeguarding parental rights and religious freedoms. While she participated in the Jan. 6 rally at the U.S. Capitol with Stop the Steal NC, Morrow clarified in a 2021 interview with CBS 17 News that she condemned the violence and remained nonviolent.
As the Republican nominee for state superintendent, she pledges to prioritize scholastics and school safety over gender ideology and Critical Race Theory. Despite homeschooling her own children due to concerns about public schools, Morrow believes that every parent deserves access to exceptional public education. She has condemned what she perceives as indoctrination in schools, noting to CBS 17, “It’s not the teachers themselves but the mandated curriculum that can potentially promote worldviews contrary to their beliefs.”
The question is: who is Morrow? Well, if you believe the news media, she’s a “far-right” candidate, but is that the case?
The 52-year-old New Hampshire native mother of five has a BS in nursing, UNC-CH, which she earned in 1993, and has been active in Liberty First Grassroots, Conservative Coalition of NC, FreedomWorks, Education First Alliance, Carolina Teachers Alliance, Wake GOP, North Carolina Asia American Coalition, Color Us United, Hispanos del Sur, the Frederick Douglas Foundation, HSLDA, Pavement Education Project, Western Wake Republican Club, Christian Perspective Representatives, and Protect Children’s Health Coalition, according to ballotpedia.org.
According to voting records, she ran for the school board in Wake County and lost, and she has never held office before, which might be appealing to voters, as was the case with several of the primary wins in the state, John Dinan, a professor at Wake Forest University, said in an interview.
Morrow will go up against Democrat Maurice (Mo) Green, who won his primary with 429,958 votes, or 65.87%, against C.R. Katie Eddings, who got 162,369 votes, or 24.88%, and Kenon Crumble, who got 60,367 votes, or 9.25%. According to a WRAL News poll, Morrow and Green are in a current statistical dead heat for the office.