Democrat Mo Green appears to have topped Republican Michele Morrow in the race to be North Carolina's next public school leader, and Morrow has conceded the race to Green.
With all precincts reporting Wednesday morning, Green had 51.1% of the vote to Morrow's 48.9%, according to unofficial results from the State Board of Elections. Green's lead was about 119,500 votes. The Associated Press called the race for Green.
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Green, who ran Guilford County Schools from 2008 to 2016, accepted victory Wednesday morning.
"I'm humbled and honored to be elected as North Carolina's Superintendent of Public Instruction," Green wrote in a statement Wednesday morning. "It's now upon us to put forth and implement our bold vision, direction, and plan for NC public schools. Our children and the future of our state depend on it."
Morrow, a political outsider and homeschool mom, conceded the race Wednesday morning, calling Green "our new superintendent" in a news release.
But she said the race was still a victory because of how many people voted for her and "the desperate need for a better system."
Morrow defeated incumbent superintendent Catherine Truitt in the Republican primary in March, campaigning relentlessly in the primary and tapping into many parents’ concerns about the direction of public schools.
Green received the support of the North Carolina Association of Educators. While most teachers aren’t members, it’s the state’s largest teachers’ organization and is active in policy and politics.
“We want a candidate who is skilled and qualified and reveres educators and our public school students here in North Carolina,” said Tamika Walker-Kelly, NCAE’s president.
“He is an experienced teacher, and I know he's gonna his heart is helping students and helping them achieve their potential,” said Martin Kelleher, a voter who attended the North Carolina Democratic Party’s watch party in downtown Raleigh. “So I believe he will be a fantastic leader of the school system.”
Ahead of polls closing, both candidates said they'd visited polling sites and tried to sway voters last minute. They told WRAL News they were optimistic of their chances but for different reasons.
"I think that people are ready for change in schools," said Morrow, who has cast herself as an outsider in her campaigning.
Green, on the other hand, noted he'd raised nearly $3 million in his campaign, 10 times what Morrow did.
"The very soul of public education is on the ballot this November," he said. "It is going to take champions of public education to meet this moment."
The winner will be in charge of more than $13 billion in state and federal funds for 1.5 million students. They’ll oversee the implementation of new state laws during increased politicization of schools and LGBTQ+ and diversity initiatives. The superintendent is also charged with overcoming the lingering academic challenges from Covid-19.
Morrow entered the race as a political outsider who had little experience with education policy. She says her status as someone who has never worked in a public school is an asset.
Green brought years of experience to the race. He’s a former superintendent of Guilford County Schools and system administrator at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and was most recently the executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Winston-Salem-based organization that provides grants to several dozens of organizations every year for public art, problem-solving and community organizing.
The race drew more attention than a typical superintendent race and higher fundraising, too. Green raised about $3 million, while Morrow raised just more than $300,000, according to campaign finance reports filed in October. Democratic superintendent candidates in the past two election cycles have far outraised the Republican candidate and still lost.
Morrow’s background as an outsider and controversial social media posts — including ones calling for the executions of prominent Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, and for using the military to keep former President Donald Trump in power — have turned what is a normally quiet contest on its head.