NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The Democratic challenger to incumbent Rep. Michael Lee in the N.C. Senate race was announced Friday, as retired Army colonel Marcia Morgan accepted the nomination to run for District 7.
Morgan is replacing Jason Minnicozzi, a New Hanover County public defender, who announced last Sunday via social media he would be stepping down. Minnicozzi cited a lack of financial resources to move forward, though accusations had come to light of him exploiting power to obtain personal information about a woman who appeared in court in an assault case.
North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Bobbie Richardson said in a statement last week: “Harassment of any kind cannot be tolerated. Mr. Minnicozzi made the right decision to drop out of this race. New Hanover deserves a leader who serves with integrity and someone they can trust to do the job.”
Morgan taught ROTC at U.C. Berkeley and has worked as a contractor for the military after serving 25 years before retiring as a colonel. She served two tours at the Pentagon, including as chief of staff.
“Her military service provides the foundation of leadership that is badly needed in Raleigh and that is why New Hanover can count on her to work across the aisle to accomplish the missions most important to North Carolinians, like lowering costs and expanding access to health care,” Richardson stated in a recent release.
An openly gay candidate, Morgan already has launched her campaign website, citing key issues she is running on: environment, economy, education, and equality.
“With so much on the ballot this year, it’s critical that we, as Democrats, come together and fight like never before for our values,” Morgan released in a statement.
Morgan has run twice before in North Carolina: in 2018 for the House seat for District 19, in which she lost to Ted Davis, and in 2020 also losing to Charlie Miller.
The New Hanover County Republican Party also released a statement Saturday morning in response to the new candidate. “The third time will not be a charm,” it said.
“North Carolina is in a better position than most because of the responsible budgeting and common-sense tax and spending policies that Senator Lee has supported in the North Carolina Senate,” New Hanover County Republican Chair Will Knecht said in the release.
Morgan’s economic platform includes attracting clean, sustainable businesses that don’t pollute the air, water or land, as well as drawing in more tourism dollars to area beaches.
“At the state level, we need to encourage the film industry to return,” she noted on her campaign site. “Improving infrastructure is also critical to the continued growth of this part of our county and as is support for local business owners.”
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