Michele Morrow, the former Republican candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, filed paperwork on Thursday to run for U.S. Senate, according to her campaign and the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Morrow will challenge Republican frontrunner Michael Whatley, who is running with President Donald Trump’s support. The winner of the primary is expected to face former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, in the November election.
Whatley said in a statement that he was looking forward to appearing with Trump in Rocky Mount on Friday. “I will be an ally for him and a conservative voice for North Carolina in the U.S. Senate,” he said.
Last year, Morrow—a critic of public schools who was not widely known at the time—upset GOP incumbent Catherine Truitt in the primary for superintendent of public instruction. She got national attention for social media posts she had made calling for the execution of various leaders of the Democratic Party. She lost in the general election to Democrat Mo Green.
Since then, Morrow has tried to raise her political profile, registering as a lobbyist and launching a new organization focused on education. She said in March that she was considering a run for Thom Tillis’ Senate seat. He later announced his plans to retire.