Morgan Harper (born July 1, 1983) is an American attorney, community organizer,[1] and political candidate.[2][3] After working as a senior advisor at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,[4] in 2020 she campaigned against incumbent Joyce Beatty to represent Ohio's 3rd congressional district, which includes Columbus, in the United States House of Representatives.[5] Also in 2020, she founded the non-profit Columbus Stand Up.[6] In 2022 she ran for the United States Senate to succeed Rob Portman. She lost in the Democratic Primary to congressman Tim Ryan 69-17%.
Morgan Harper | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 1, 1983 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Tufts University (BA) Stanford University (JD) Princeton University (MPA) |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and education
editBorn in Columbus, Ohio on July 1, 1983, Harper lived in a foster home for nine months before being adopted by a public school teacher. Raised in Columbus, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Tufts University and a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School. She later earned a Master of Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.[4][7]
Career
editAfter law school, Harper first served as a law clerk to Judge Algenon L. Marbley on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio and then worked at the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York. Harper would go on to work for three years at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, serving as a senior advisor to director Richard Cordray under President Obama.[4] Afterwards, she served as vice president of knowledge management and strategy for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.[2]
In 2020, Harper founded Columbus Stand Up. After organizing volunteers to drive voters to polls, in 2021 Columbus Stand Up began donating masks and transporting Columbus residents to get COVID-19 vaccines.[6]
2020 congressional campaign
editOn July 1, 2019,[4] she challenged Democratic incumbent Joyce Beatty to represent Ohio's 3rd congressional district, which includes most of Columbus.[8][2] Endorsed by Justice Democrats[9] in August 2019,[7] she was endorsed by the Sunrise Movement in December 2019 and the Working Families Party in February 2020.[10] Harper raised $323,000 during the campaign's first quarter,[3][11] with her platform focused on "universal child care, tuition-free public college, Medicare for All, reparations, affordable housing, and a Green New Deal."[11] On April 29, 2020, it was announced that Beatty had won the primary, with Harper earning 32% of 66,000 votes.[5]
2022 U.S. Senate election
editIn August 2021, Harper declared her candidacy for 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio. Harper faced Congressman Tim Ryan and two other candidates in the Democratic primary.[12][13] Her campaign ad "My Ohio Story" was released on April 4, 2022 and claimed that she has been the only candidate who always supported "Medicare for all", a "$15 minimum wage", and "supports expanding the Supreme Court."[14] She lost to Ryan in the Democratic Primary 69-17%.
Personal life
editHarper lives in Columbus, Ohio.[4]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joyce Beatty (incumbent) | 44,995 | 68.1 | |
| Democratic | Morgan Harper | 21,057 | 31.9 | |
| Total votes | 66,052 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tim Ryan | 359,941 | 69.55% | |
| Democratic | Morgan Harper | 92,347 | 17.84% | |
| Democratic | Traci Johnson | 65,209 | 12.60% | |
| Total votes | 517,497 | 100.0% | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Morgan Harper enters race for U.S. Senate".
- ^ a b c "Ex-Richard Cordray adviser Morgan Harper to challenge U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, July 1, 2019". The Plain Dealer. July 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Gabriel, Trip (13 October 2019). "The Democratic Debate Is Coming to Ohio, Where a Party Battle Is Already Underway, October 13, 2019". The New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Congressional hopeful Morgan Harper on reshaping the city that shaped her, July 30, 2019". Columbus Alive. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Live Results: Beatty Faces Harper in Ohio's Third Congressional District Primary, April 28, 2020". The New York Times. 28 April 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "Columbus Stand Up offers free rides to vaccination sites, April 22, 2021". Columbus Alive. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "Morgan Harper Has a Plan to "Reset" Politics for the Next Generation, October 16, 2019". Teen Vogue. 7 October 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ "In Ohio, Morgan Harper's grassroots campaign hobbled by coronavirus pandemic, April 24, 2020". Jewish Insider. 24 April 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ "Black Caucus seeks to squash liberal insurgents, April 28, 2020". Politico. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ "Progressive Challenger in Ohio Earns Working Families Party Endorsement, February 24, 2020". The American Prospect. 24 February 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "Ohio Progressive Morgan Harper Raised $323,000 in First Quarter House Race, October 9, 2019". The Intercept. 9 October 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ "Ohio Senate: Tim Ryan gets challenge from the left in progressive activist Morgan Harper". NBC News. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
- ^ BeMiller, Haley. "Progressive Democrat Morgan Harper enters U.S. Senate race, setting up challenge to Tim Ryan". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
- ^ "My Ohio Story". YouTube. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ "2022 OFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS". Ohio Secretary of State.