WUNC: “A second prominent Democrat has entered the primary for North Carolina governor in 2024.
Michael Morgan, a former state Supreme Court justice who stepped down early from the high court last week, announced his campaign Tuesday. He is challenging Attorney General Josh Stein to become Gov. Roy Cooper’s successor after the Democratic governor reaches the end of his term limit next year.
Cooper, who hired Stein to lead his consumer protection division when he was the attorney general, formally endorsed him as a successor after months of publicly praising his work as the state’s chief prosecutor.
But Morgan was not deterred by the governor’s support for his opponent. The Democrat from New Bern, who now resides in Raleigh, contends he is the most qualified to lead the Tar Heel state after serving on the bench for more than 30 years in four different judgeships.
“My vision is to provide all North Carolinians with fair opportunities in which they may thrive and succeed,” Morgan said Tuesday. “I am running on a platform that calls for a change to the system that allows the working people, children and families of North Carolina to be ignored and taken for granted.”
North Carolina’s gubernatorial race is expected to be among the most competitive and expensive in the nation. While Republicans have controlled the General Assembly since 2011 and currently hold a supermajority, they have only controlled the governor’s office for four of the last 30 years.”