Extreme and Controversial Comments by Michele Morrow, North Carolina’s Republican Nominee for Superintendent of Public Instruction
Michele Morrow, the newly-nominated Republican candidate for the position of superintendent overseeing North Carolina’s public schools and its substantial $11 billion budget, has a notable history of making extreme and controversial comments. These remarks include sharing baseless conspiracy theories and advocating for the execution of various prominent Democrats.
Background:
Morrow, a conservative activist who secured the Republican primary in North Carolina on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, upset incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt. Morrow’s platform focused on supporting parental rights and opposing critical race theory. As the future superintendent, she would oversee the state’s public school system, manage budgets, and collaborate with the state Board of Education to establish curriculum standards.
Controversial Comments:
Between 2019 and 2021, Morrow expressed her support for executing prominent Democrats on various social media platforms, including Twitter. In one instance from May 2020, she wrote, “Death to ALL traitors!!!” in response to a user suggesting that former President Barack Obama should be executed. In another tweet from the same month, she commented on a fake Time Magazine cover depicting an electric chair and Obama, stating, “I prefer a Pay Per View of him in front of the firing squad.” Morrow also expressed her desire to execute President Joe Biden in December 2020.
When approached by News Finder for comment, Morrow and her campaign did not respond.
Platform and Extreme Views:
Morrow’s Website lists endorsements from “conservative school boards,” but her plans for change remain light. She has previously referred to public schools as “socialism centers” and “indoctrination centers.” In a campaign speech in February, she advocated for abolishing the state Board of Education to gain direct control over educational policy.
Morrow’s Social Media History:
Morrow has a history of espousing extreme views on social media, many of which were made on her now-dormant personal Twitter account. She also promoted QAnon slogans and claimed that the actor Jim Carrey was likely in search of adrenochrome, a reference to a conspiracy theory shared by QAnon believers. Morrow tweeted the QAnon slogan “WWG1WGA” (where we go one, we go all) several times in 2020.
Central to QAnon lore is the belief that thousands of people will be arrested, face military tribunals, and undergo mass executions for their alleged crimes, with Donald Trump leading the efforts. Morrow’s comments on publicly executing Obama are just one of numerous instances where she has advocated for violent fantasies against Democrats.
On Twitter and the now-defunct conservative alternative, Parler, Morrow used the hashtag “#DeathtoTraitors” a combined 12 times, usually in relation to prominent Democrats. She also shared posts about locking up Democrats at Guantanamo Bay and prisons. In one post from July 2019, Morrow targeted Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar and other Democrats, suggesting their impending death for unspecified “treason.” In another post on Parler, she discussed Democratic governors Cooper and Cuomo using the hashtag #deathtotraitors.
Morrow’s ire went beyond Democrats, including a post in December 2020 calling for putting Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia in prison after he certified Georgia’s results for Joe Biden. In other comments, Morrow repeatedly shared the false claim that Obama was Muslim and expressed belief in a conspiracy theory that tens of thousands of Chinese troops were stationed in Canada to invade the United States.
H2: Michele Morrow’s History of Controversial and Extreme Comments
Michele Morrow, the newly-nominated Republican candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction in North Carolina, has a notable history of making extreme and controversial comments. From advocating for the execution of prominent Democrats to promoting conspiracy theories, Morrow’s past statements raise concerns about her suitability for the position she is seeking.
Background:
Morrow, a conservative activist, secured the Republican primary in North Carolina on March 8, 2022. She defeated Catherine Truitt, the incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction, in a close race. Morrow ran on a platform of supporting parental rights and opposing critical race theory. If elected, she would oversee the state’s public school system, manage budgets, and collaborate with the state Board of Education to establish curriculum standards.
Controversial Comments:
Between 2019 and 2021, Morrow expressed her support for executing prominent Democrats on various social media platforms, including Twitter. In one instance from May 2020, she wrote, “Death to ALL traitors!!!” in response to a user suggesting that former President Barack Obama should be executed. In another tweet from the same month, she commented on a fake Time Magazine cover depicting an electric chair and Obama, stating, “I prefer a Pay Per View of him in front of the firing squad.” Morrow also expressed her desire to execute President Joe Biden in December 2020.
When approached by News Finder for comment, Morrow and her campaign did not respond.
Platform and Extreme Views:
Morrow’s Website lists endorsements from “conservative school boards,” but her plans for change remain light. She has previously referred to public schools as “socialism centers” and “indoctrination centers.” In a campaign speech in February, she advocated for abolishing the state Board of Education to gain direct control over educational policy. Morrow’s Website does not provide extensive information on her plans or changes she would implement if elected.
Morrow’s Social Media History:
Morrow’s social media history reveals a pattern of making extreme and controversial comments. Many of these statements were made on her now-dormant personal Twitter account, which is separate from her campaign account. She also used the hashtag “#DeathtoTraitors” a combined 12 times on Twitter and Parler, usually in relation to prominent Democrats.
Central to QAnon lore is the belief that thousands of people will be arrested, face military tribunals, and undergo mass executions for their alleged crimes, with Donald Trump leading the efforts. Morrow’s comments on publicly executing Obama are just one of numerous instances where she has advocated for violent fantasies against Democrats.
On Twitter and the now-defunct conservative alternative, Parler, Morrow shared posts about locking up Democrats at Guantanamo Bay and prisons. In one post from July 2019, she targeted Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar and other Democrats, suggesting their impending death for unspecified “treason.” In another post on Parler, she discussed Democratic governors Cooper and Cuomo using the hashtag #deathtotraitors. Morrow’s ire went beyond Democrats, including a post in December 2020 calling for putting Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia in prison after he certified Georgia’s results for Joe Biden.
Morrow repeatedly shared the false claim that Obama was Muslim and expressed belief in a conspiracy theory that tens of thousands of Chinese troops were stationed in Canada to invade the United States. In December 2020, she called for putting Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in prison after he objected to certifying the electoral college results for Joe Biden.
Despite the controversy surrounding her comments, Morrow has yet to publicly address or apologize for them. Instead, she continues to focus on her campaign and platform, which includes supporting parental rights and opposing critical race theory in North Carolina’s public schools.
In conclusion, Michele Morrow’s history of extreme and controversial comments raises concerns about her suitability for the position of superintendent overseeing North Carolina’s public schools. Her calls for violence against political opponents and promotion of conspiracy theories demonstrate a troubling disregard for the rule of law and the democratic process. As the future superintendent, Morrow would be responsible for managing the state’s public school system and setting educational priorities, making her controversial past comments all the more concerning.
