Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Truitt urges support for Democratic nominee Mo Green

Truitt says people should support candidates who "show up" at a forum where GOP nominee Michele Morrow was absent.

Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt appears to have endorsed Democratic nominee Mo Green to succeed her. Truitt lost her primary to MAGA Michele Morrow, a conspiracy theorist with a history of calling for the execution of people with whom she disagrees. Morrow has no experience working in public education.

According the News & Observer, both Green and Truitt showed up at a breakfast sponsored by the Public School Forum of North Carolina, a nonprofit organization that calls itself a “champion of better public schools.” In her remarks, Truitt said, “I hope we can rally behind education leaders who take time to show up and share their vision independent of buzzwords.” Morrow skipped the forum.

From the N&O:

During her speech, Truitt said the state needs education leaders who go beyond “buzzwords” like indoctrination and Critical Race Theory to “un-wedge education from the political football it has become.” She said education “must move back to the middle.”

“I hope you ask future education leaders questions like, when was the last time you met with educators, a local superintendent, or a principal?” Truitt said. “Or even more importantly, when was the last time you entrusted your child to a North Carolina public school?”

Truitt is clearly targeting Morrow with her remarks. Morrow, like Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, has claimed that public schools are “socialist indoctrination centers” and focused heavily on CRT. Morrow never sent her children to public schools and has not met with public school officials, choosing instead to criticize them.

Green, in contrast, built his career working in public education. He served as General Counsel to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools before becoming Superintendent of the Guilford County Public Schools. He also has two daughters who graduated from public schools. He has spent much of his campaign meeting with public school advocates and education officials around the state.

Truitt’s support for Green, or more succinctly, her rejection of Morrow, has broader implications. Moderate GOP leaders are signaling to like-minded Republicans voters that it’s okay to reject the extremists in their midst. The establishment is not ready to surrender control of the party to the MAGA upstarts.

Republicans in North Carolina realize they have a mess on their hands. They know that Mark Robinson is not a serious guy. He’s a social media creation who lives for the applause. He has neither the experience nor the temperament to serve as chief executive of a state of 10.5 million people and $30 billion budget. He also has more baggage than Pullman car. In the fall, he will be at the top of the Republican ticket along with Donald Trump.

Morrow is garnering too much attention for a down-ballot candidate running for a relatively obscure office. Most people don’t know who the Superintendent of Public Instruction is, but Morrow is making sure the public knows Republicans are nominating candidates unfit for office. They may bring out some of the MAGA base, but they are turning off the broader electorate.

Democrats would be remiss if they let Truitt’s support for Green go unnoticed. They need to define the GOP nominees as out of touch with mainstream North Carolina. A sitting Republican Council of State member rejecting the GOP nominee to succeed her is quite a statement.