Michelle Morrow Files Primary Challenge Against Trump-backed Candidate For U.S. Senate
The day before candidate filing ended, Michelle Morrow filed to run in the Republican Primary for U.S. Senate, challenging the Trump-endorsed candidate, former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley. Morrow joins Don Brown, Margot Dupre, Elizabeth Temple, and Thomas Johnson in challenging Trump’s choice, Michael Whatley, in the primary.
In 2024, Morrow made her first run for public office as the Republican nominee for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Morrow failed to defeat DEI-advocate, Democrat Mo Green, while Republicans secured other statewide offices. In that statewide race, Morrow only raised slightly over $400,000, with records showing that she reimbursed herself at least $17,000.
Notably, Morrow only has a bland landing page for her Senate launch, no launch video explaining her campaign, and neither the Federal Election Commission nor the North Carolina State Board of Elections has campaign finance filings announcing her campaign finance committee.
After her defeat at the ballot box, Morrow founded an education-focused nonprofit. The organization does not have a website, and its Facebook page has only 13 likes. Searching through the IRS and NC Secretary of State databases of registered nonprofit organizations did not return results for this group. Morrow is embroiled in a messy divorce, which may mean that she needs to raise funds to pay for attorneys or other legal issues. Non-incumbent candidates for public office can pay themselves a salary from campaign donations if certain conditions are met.
Tim’s Take: Don Brown is the hardest hit by this entry into the race. Brown tried to set himself up as the Whatley alternative, but with Morrow’s entrance into the race, the anti-Trump vote will be split between them. Once the fundraising reports are released after the holidays, it will become abundantly clear that they are not serious candidates, and the point of these campaigns against Trump’s preferred candidates is to line the pockets of low-level political consultants.
