Democratic candidate Mo Green appears to have defeated Republican candidate Michele Morrow in the race to lead North Carolina’s public schools. Early Wednesday morning, Green had won 51% of the vote.
North Carolina’s superintendent of public instruction implements education laws and oversees a $13 billion budget for public schools. The position leads a staff of about 2,000 employees and contractors at the Department of Public Instruction and works with the state board of education and state lawmakers to advocate for education policies.
Green is a former superintendent of Guilford County Schools, leading the state’s third largest school district for seven years. He has also served as a school board attorney and administrator at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and as executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, which funds many education initiatives.
Green cast the election as a race for the “very soul of public education.” He campaigned on advocating for increased public school funding and higher teacher pay; improving school safety and mental health support for students; and celebrating public schools and revering teachers.
On the campaign trail, Green contrasted his experience and “belief” in public schools with his opponent Michele Morrow, who has called public schools “indoctrination centers” and said some teachers are “groomers.”
Morrow is a former homeschool teacher and nurse, who gained national attention for her past social media posts. She once called for the execution of prominent Democrats, including former president Barack Obama — which she later said was a joke. Online, she has promoted Q-Anon conspiracy theories, called Islam a “political cult,” and suggested that the “plus” in LGBTQ+ stands for pedophilia.
Morrow attended protests outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A supporter of Donald Trump, Morrow spread the falsehood that the 2020 election results were rigged in favor of Democrats.
Green’s campaign significantly outraised Morrow, with $2.9 million in donations by mid-October compared to her $370,000. His boost in donations far outpaced past spending for this office and allowed him to buy TV ads that featured Morrow’s social media posts.
Green will be the first Democrat to hold the office since former three-term State Superintendent June Atkinson was defeated in 2016.
In January, Green will take over the seat currently held by Republican Catherine Truitt, a one-term incumbent whom Morrow narrowly defeated in the primary election.
