In a surprise, incumbent State Superintendent Catherine Truitt was defeated by challenger Michele Morrow in the Republican primary.
Morrow defeated Truitt by about 4 percentage points, making it one of the closest races of the night.
Morrow has never before held public office. In 2022, she lost a bid for a seat on the Wake County school board.
She touts her 16 years of homeschooling experience and was formerly an emergency department nurse and Christian missionary. Morrow cast herself as more conservative than Truitt.
In a chart Morrow posted on her website, she portrays herself as further right on issues of critical race theory, school safety and parent rights. For example, Morrow points out that Truitt delayed implementation of the Parents Bill of Rights – a bill that Truitt also strongly supported and helped pass.
Neither Truitt or Morrow spent much on the election compared to other statewide races.
Morrow will face former Guilford County Superintendent Mo Green in November.