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Morgan Harper
Ohio
"It's our turn"
Defeated by Tim Ryan
“To end gun violence in our state, we must address the root causes: by making sure our young people have good schools, access to mental healthcare, debt-free training/education, and well-paying jobs. ”
If one theme unifies Morgan Harper’s life and campaign, it’s her deep belief in building people power over corporate power. A veteran of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — the consumer watchdog agency founded in response to the Great Recession — Harper has now taken her fight for economic justice back to Ohio where she is running in the primary for the state’s open Senate seat next fall. Much like the Bureau’s founder and champion Elizabeth Warren, Harper sharply articulates the ways the economy is rigged against working people, offering bold ideas for reinvestment and “aggressive, pro-competition policy.” An unabashed advocate of progressive policies like universal child care, reparations to Black communities, and the Green New Deal, Harper hopes to ride the anti-establishment wave within the Democratic Party, flipping retiring Republican Senator Rob Portman’s seat blue in a race that is one of the party’s best pick-up chances to expand their slim majority.
Harper’s commitment to the fight for economic justice is rooted in her own experiences. Born to a teenage mom from Trinidad, Harper lived in foster care for nine months before being adopted and raised by a public school teacher in Columbus. Harper kept these childhood memories front and center when she went on to win scholarships to study law and public policy. “We went through a lot,” she recounted recently, “but it showed me just how vulnerable all of us are to… one financial shock.” For many families, that shock came in the form of the 2007–08 financial crisis. As senior advisor to Richard Cordray, a fellow Ohioan leading the newly-created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Harper got to work going after predatory lenders. More recently, she has continued the fight against corporate power as director of Policy & Advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project, leading public advocacy against the unchecked power of Big Tech. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck her district, Harper co-founded Columbus Stand Up!, a local grassroots organization providing meals, masks, and rides to vulnerable residents in central Ohio. While Harper’s intricate knowledge of regulatory law will be an asset to Congress, she is centering her quest for Senate in her grassroots community organizing experience in Columbus and door-to-door campaigning chops. As her slogan goes, it’s time to “Morganize.”
—Andrew Pasquier
Andrew Pasquier is a freelance writer and researcher interested in politics, culture, and design. He was born in raised in Pennsylvania and is currently pursuing an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Journalism and Media Studies with the support of the E.U. Commission. Previously, he was the global program coordinator at the Urban Design Forum, a non-profit gathering designers, developers and civic leaders to debate issues facing New York City.
Policy Positions
Universal Child Care
“Every child should be cared for and enrolled in early learning regardless of their parent’s income or working status. It’s the key to breaking the cycle of poverty in our country… Giving power back to our communities means supporting working parents and giving every child an early start on learning.” (Campaign Website)
Abortion Access
“I’m running for the U.S. Senate as an unapologetically pro-choice Democrat — and I’m the only major candidate in this race who has never wavered in my support for the right to choose.” (Columbus Dispatch)
Expanding the Supreme Court
“A Supreme Court that has become so radicalized and out of step with the American public must be reformed. Expand the Court.” (Columbus Dispatch)
Affordable Housing for All
“Gentrification, nearly stagnant wages, and a shortage of affordable housing is forcing far too many people in Columbus to become housing unstable. As a member of Congress I will push for national rent stabilization policies and increased affordable housing supply.” (Ballotpedia)
Endorsements
Our Revolution
Working Families Party
Food and Water Action Fund
Defeated by Tim Ryan
With two-term Republican Senator Rob Portman’s retirement, the primary for the open Senate seat in Ohio has become a microcosm of internal political divisions on both sides of the aisle. Until Morgan Harper entered the race in August, the Democratic side was dominated by centrist Representative Tim Ryan, best known for his attempt to unseat Nancy Pelosi as House leader in 2016, and his short-lived presidential bid in 2020. Styling himself a spokesperson for the type of white, blue-collar workers that defected in large numbers to Donald Trump, Ryan has the clear backing of the party establishment. Morgan, with her Nike high-tops and Bernie tendencies, aims to be the new face of Ohio Democrats in the mold of progressives like AOC, who similarly defeated a longtime incumbent in her unexpected 2018 victory.
If the primary battle among Democrats seems again to pit ideological wings of the party against one another, on the Republican side there is the now-typical contest between who can most cozy up to Trump’s brand of right-wing politics. Most notable among the five-candidate field is Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance who has transformed from critic of Mr. Trump’s cynical appeals to white working-class grievance into a MAGA bandwagoner. Recently, Vance defended the Texas abortion ban in an interview where he called rape and incest “inconvenient” but valid circumstances under which to give birth. While other leading Republican candidates like former Ohio state treasurer Josh Mendal weaponized this shift, calling Vance a “RINO” (Republican in Name Only), Vance is backed by libertarian tech billionaire Peter Thiel, his former employer, to the tune of 10 million dollars — a bargain with the devil that may explain Vance’s flip flop from anti-Trumper to anti-vaxxer. Regardless of who emerges from the Republican field, anti-Washington rhetoric will certainly be the norm on both sides. Luckily for Harper, her grievances are coupled by policy solutions aimed at actually helping working people.
State: Ohio
Like many Rust Belt states, Ohio lurched rightward in recent years as many white working-class voters abandoned their traditional support for the Democratic party. While this realignment accelerated under President Trump — with the former president winning the state twice by increasing margins — the sole statewide-elected Democrat, Senator Sherrod Brown, handily won re-election in 2018, signaling Democrats’ continued appeal. In the campaign, Brown emphasized his strong support of unions and the party’s working-class policy orientation, both themes echoed by Morgan in her current quest. While Morgan strongly believes that most Ohioans have reason to support her fight against corporate power, the partisan and intra-party dynamics of the state are major headwinds to her success, with party leaders convinced of the need to appeal to a narrow band of centrist voters in order to have a shot at victory. For example, earlier this year, the party establishment lined up behind Representative Shontel Brown in his special election victory over Bernie Sanders surrogate Nina Turner. In contrast, Harper wants to energize a new, more-diverse electorate to turn out in Ohio with her message of building “the economy on the side of working people” — a populist line that she believes has cross-over appeal.
