The Republican candidate for the role of superintendent in charge of North Carolina’s public schools, with an $11 billion budget, has been noted for making extreme and controversial remarks. This includes spreading unfounded conspiracy theories and frequently suggesting that high-profile Democrats should be executed.
Michele Morrow, a conservative activist who recently won against the current Superintendent of Public Instruction in the Republican primary in North Carolina, has supported the idea of broadcasting the execution of former President Barack Obama on television. She also hinted at the possibility of killing then-President-elect Joe Biden in 2020.
Between 2019 and 2021, Morrow’s social media posts revealed alarming suggestions about executing well-known Democrats for treason. This list includes Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Hillary Clinton, Senator Chuck Schumer, and other notable figures like Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates.
In a tweet from May 2020, Morrow expressed her preference for a pay-per-view event showing Obama in front of a firing squad, in response to a conspiracy theory about sending Obama to Guantanamo Bay prison. She mentioned not wanting to spend more on supporting his life and suggested making money from televising his death.
In another instance in May 2020, she reacted to a fabricated Time Magazine cover depicting Obama in an electric chair, questioning if he should be executed. Her response was, “Death to ALL traitors!!”
Morrow also suggested in December 2020 that Biden, who was president-elect at the time and had asked Americans to wear masks for 100 days, should be killed. She advocated for following the Constitution’s advice to “KILL all TRAITORS!!! #JusticeforAmerica.”
CNN attempted to contact Morrow and her campaign multiple times but received no response.
From Activist to Candidate
Morrow defeated Catherine Truitt, the incumbent North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, in the Republican primary last Tuesday. As a registered nurse and grassroots activist who homeschooled her children, Morrow campaigned on supporting parental rights and opposing critical race theory.
If elected as superintendent, Morrow would be responsible for managing the state’s public school system, setting educational priorities, managing budgets, and working with the state’s Board of Education to establish and implement curriculum standards. Her campaign website mentions endorsements from “conservative school boards” but provides few details on the changes she plans to implement.
Morrow has previously described public schools as “socialism centers” and “indoctrination centers.” In a campaign speech in February, she advocated for a constitutional amendment to abolish the state Board of Education, arguing that it would allow for more direct control over the state’s education agenda by the superintendent and the state legislature, which is currently Republican-controlled.
Morrow has shared a range of extreme views on social media over the years, including promoting QAnon slogans and suggesting that actor Jim Carrey was involved in a conspiracy theory related to adrenochrome, a substance QAnon believers claim celebrities use to prolong their lives. She tweeted “WWG1WGA” – a QAnon slogan meaning “where we go one, we go all” – more than seven times in 2020.
Central to QAnon beliefs is the idea of the “Storm,” a day when thousands will supposedly be arrested and face executions for their alleged crimes, with Donald Trump leading the efforts alongside other QAnon “patriots.”
Morrow’s posts about executing Obama are among many she has made advocating for violent actions against Democrats. On Twitter and the now-defunct conservative platform Parler, she used the hashtag “#DeathtoTraitors” multiple times, usually in relation to prominent Democrats.
In another post from July 2019, Morrow targeted Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar and other Democrats, suggesting they should be executed for unspecified “treason.” On Parler, she discussed the Democratic governors of North Carolina and New York, Cooper and Cuomo, using the hashtag #deathtotraitors and linked her Parler handle in a tweet. CNN found the deleted Parler posts on the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
Morrow’s criticism extended beyond Democrats, including a post in December 2020 calling for Republican Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia to be imprisoned after he certified Georgia’s election results for Joe Biden.
Additionally, Morrow repeatedly shared the false claim that Obama was Muslim, called Islam evil, and believed in a conspiracy theory that Chinese troops were stationed in Canada and Mexico, ready to invade the United States to help Joe Biden become president. In September 2019, she referred to Obama as a puppet for the “Deep State” and the “Muslim movement,” suggesting he should face the highest penalty for his alleged crimes.
Morrow also wrote that the “DEEP STATE globalists and Muslim extremists” were intent on destroying America and placed Omar and others in the government. In January 2020, she stated that Muslims should be banned from holding elected office in the United States and suggested that Representative Omar should return to Somalia.