Candidate Biography (submitted by campaign):

Richard Morgan was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives and served eight consecutive terms.  His Education Committee assignments for multiple terms included the Full Appropriations Committee - Sub-Committee on Education and the Substantive Policy Committee on Education.

Elected as Speaker of the House, he has experience at the highest levels of state government.  He helped craft state budgets which ranged from eleven to eighteen billion dollars!  He was Speaker Pro-Tempore, House Minority Leader, House Rules Chairman, House Financial Institutions Chairman and V ice-Chairman of the House Finance Committee.

Richard Morgan received the Distinguished Alumnus designation from Sandhills Community College.  He served a three-year term as a member of the board of directors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill General Alumni Association.

Following college graduation and North Carolina Government service, he started his own insurance brokerage firm "from scratch."  Through long hours and determination, he built it into a successful business serving clients throughout North Carolina.  He is involved with several businesses.

Richard Morgan married the former Cindy Richardson.  She is an Associate Vice President with the Association for Home and Hospice Care of North Carolina, a nurse and a Moore County Commissioner.  They make their home on a farm near Eagle Springs and his office is in Pinehurst.

Soon after high school graduation, Morgan enrolled at Sandhills Community College where he obtained an Associate in Arts degree with honors and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honorary Society.  He completed his formal education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.  Throughout his education, Morgan worked to pay the costs.

Richard Morgan was born and grew up in the small resort town of Southern Pines, North Carolina.  His parents lived and worked in the community.

I guess what I'm about to say isn't politically correct, but consider two facts:

Last year, North Carolina eighth-graders took the national writing exam -- and we were the only state in the nation where scores dropped. 71% of our students were not proficient.  On top of that, 30% of our students dropped out of school.  Even though we spend more than $10.3 billion a year on public education!

Here are two of our problems: Too much politics; and too much bureaucracy.

First, if elected, I will fight to cut the bureaucracy.  And use every dollar of the savings to increase teachers' pay.  The best thing we can do for public education is raise teachers' pay so dramatically we have people lined up at the door to be teachers.

Second, too often elected officials use our schools to accomplish political agendas. Let's get the schools out of the social engineering business and back to their core mission: educating students.  I am among those who believe that investing in education and training, in research and technology, and in the creativity and talent of our people is the key to creating economic opportunity and a better quality of life for North Carolinians.  Quality education is critical to maintaining our competitive advantage in creating jobs for the future.  Jobs that will build new hopes and new dreams for all citizens!

During the course of this campaign, I hope to earn your confidence and your vote!

- Speaker Richard Morgan