Morgan Carroll
{{short description|American politician from Colorado and Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Morgan Carroll
|image = Morgan Carroll 2016.jpg
|office = Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party
|term_start = March 11, 2017
|term_end = April 1, 2023
|predecessor = Rick Palacio
|successor = Shad Murib
|office1 = President of the Colorado Senate
|term_start1 = September 10, 2013
|term_end1 = January 7, 2015
|predecessor1 = John Morse
|successor1 = Bill Cadman
|state_senate2 = Colorado
|district2 = 29th
|term_start2 = January 10, 2009
|term_end2 = January 10, 2017
|predecessor2 = Bob Hagedorn
|successor2 = Rhonda Fields
|state_house3 = Colorado
|district3 = 36th
|term_start3 = January 10, 2005
|term_end3 = January 10, 2009
|predecessor3 = Frank Weddig
|successor3 = Su Ryden
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|11|24}}
|birth_place = Denver, Colorado, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Democratic
|education = University of Colorado, Denver {{small|(BA)}}
University of Colorado, Boulder {{small|(JD)}}
}}
Morgan Lenore Carroll (born November 24, 1971) is an American politician from Colorado and was the Chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party. A Democrat, Carroll represented Colorado House District 36 in the city of Aurora from 2004 to 2008, and she represented the state's 29th Senate district from 2009 to 2017.{{cite news|last1=AP|title=Mike Coffman's Democratic challenger touts governor's backing|url=http://gazette.com/mike-coffmans-democratic-challenger-touts-governors-backing/article/1559368|accessdate=September 30, 2015|newspaper=The Gazette |location=Colorado Springs |date=September 15, 2015}} Carroll served as President of the Colorado State Senate from 2013 to 2014 and as minority leader in 2015. Carroll stepped down as minority leader in July 2015 to unsuccessfully run against incumbent Republican Mike Coffman for Colorado's 6th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.{{cite news|last1=Bartels|first1=Lyn|title=Democrat Lucia Guzman to become Senate minority leader|url=http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot/2015/07/09/democrat-lucia-guzman-to-become-senate-minority-leader/121889/|accessdate=September 30, 2015|publisher=The Denver Post|date=July 9, 2015}}{{cite news|last=Sapin|first=Rachel|title=Aurora Sen. Morgan Carroll will step down as senate minority leader|url=http://www.aurorasentinel.com/news/aurora-sen-morgan-carroll-will-step-senate-minority-leader/|publisher=The Aurora Sentinel|accessdate=September 7, 2016}}
Carroll chaired the Colorado Democratic Party from 2017 to 2023. During her tenure, the party achieved significant power by gaining or controlling all statewide executive offices and the state legislature, which ultimately led to Colorado turning from a swing state into a blue state.
In addition to her legislative work, Carroll works for the law firm of Bachus & Schanker.
Early life and education
Morgan Carroll was born November 24, 1971, in Denver, Colorado, to John Carroll and Rebecca Bradley. Her father was a lawyer who served as a Colorado State Representative for Adams County between 1964 and 1974. Her mother was an attorney and Carroll's partner at the mother/daughter disability and family-law firm Carroll & Bradley in Aurora from 2000 to 2010.{{cite news|url= http://www.5280.com/magazine/2012/10/contender|last=Gardner|first=Natasha|title=The Contender: Could state Senator Morgan Carroll become Colorado's first female governor?|publisher=5280|date=October 2012|accessdate=September 7, 2016}}
When Carroll was young, she helped care for her father after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and later, Alzheimer's. Her family experienced financial difficulties during that time.
Carroll graduated from Boulder High School in 1990. She worked various jobs, including at a gas station and fast-food restaurant, to pay for her education.{{cite news|title=Colorado's 10 most influential women|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2012/05/04/colorados-10-most-influential-women/|accessdate=23 September 2016|publisher=Denver Post|date=May 4, 2012}} She graduated from the University of Colorado Denver in 1996 and from the University of Colorado Law School in 2000.{{cite web|url=http://www.senmorgancarroll.com/about/|title=About Morgan|website=State Senator Morgan Carroll|accessdate=September 30, 2015}}
Colorado State Legislature
=Colorado House of Representatives=
Carroll first ran for the Colorado House of Representatives District 36 in 2004, defeating Republican Jim Parker 55%-45%.{{cite report|url=http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Results/Abstract/pdf/2000-2099/2004AbstractBook.pdf|title=Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2004 General Election|page=110|publisher=Office of the Colorado Secretary of State}} She won reelection in 2006 with 62% of the vote against Republican Brian R. Boney.{{cite report|url=http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Results/Abstract/pdf/2000-2099/2006AbsractBook.pdf|title=Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2006 General Election|publisher=Office of the Colorado Secretary of State|page=114}}
=Colorado State Senate=
Carroll first ran for the Colorado State Senate District 29 in 2008, defeating Republican Suzanne Andrews 69%-31%.{{cite report|url=http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Results/Abstract/pdf/2000-2099/2008AbstractBook.pdf|title=Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2008 General Election|publisher=Office of the Colorado Secretary of State|page=105}} She won re-election in 2012 with 59% of the vote, defeating Republican Bill Ross and Libertarian Michele Poague.{{cite web|title=2011-2012 Abstract of Votes Cast: General Election State Senate Results|url=http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Results/Abstract/2012/general/senate.html| publisher=Office of the Colorado Secretary of State}}
{{Election box begin no change|title= Colorado State Senate District 29 General Election, 2012}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Morgan Carroll
|votes = 30,149
|percentage = 58.75
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (US)
|candidate = William "Bill" D. Ross II
|votes = 18,745
|percentage = 36.53
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Libertarian Party (US)
|candidate = Michele R. Poague
|votes = 2,420
|percentage = 4.72
}}{{Election box total no change
|votes = 51,314
|percentage = 100
}}
{{Election box end}}
= Tenure =
Carroll sponsored lobbying disclosure laws in 2006 and 2014. During her first year in office, she refused to discuss legislative issues with lobbyists during debate, a practice that led them to complain about her to the Democratic leadership. Her first bill, a workers compensation measure that would allow injured workers to choose their own doctors, was opposed by 240 lobbyists and ultimately failed, as did the other two bills Carroll submitted that year.
She is considered an environmentalist,{{Cite web|url=http://kdvr.com/2013/01/25/environmentalists-also-upset-over-lobbyists-email-mistake/|title=Environmentalists also upset over lobbyists email mistake|date=2013-01-26|website=FOX31 Denver|access-date=2016-09-23}} and has been criticized by lobbyists for oil and gas companies.{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot/2013/01/25/accidental-email-attachment-lands-lobbyist-hot-water-senate-majority-leader/89452/|title=Accidental email attachment lands lobbyist in hot water with Senate majority leader|website=The Spot|access-date=2016-09-23}}
In 2013, Carroll and fellow Democratic Representative Rhonda Fields sponsored Colorado House Bill 1229, which mandates universal background checks for gun purchases in the state.{{cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2013/03/11/colorado-gun-bills-universal-background-checks-passed-in-senate-heads-to-house/|last=Parker|first=Ryan|title=Colorado gun bills: Universal background checks passed in Senate, heads to House|date=March 11, 2013|accessdate=September 7, 2016}}
==Colorado State Senate Committee assignments==
- Senate Judiciary Committee (chair){{cite web|url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cga-legislativecouncil/2010-senate-judiciary|title=2010 Senate Judiciary|publisher=Colorado General Assembly|accessdate=23 September 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cga-legislativecouncil/2011-senate-judiciary|title=2011 Senate Judiciary|publisher=Colorado General Assembly|accessdate=23 September 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cga-legislativecouncil/2012-senate-judicial|title=2012 Senate Judicial|publisher=Colorado General Assembly|accessdate=23 September 2016}}
- Executive Committee of the Legislative Council (Vice-chair){{cite web|url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cga-legislativecouncil/2014-executive-committee-legislative-council|title=2014 Executive Committee of the Legislative Council|publisher=Colorado General Assembly|accessdate=23 September 2016}}
- Legislative Council (Vice-chair){{cite web|url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cga-legislativecouncil/2014-legislative-council|title=2014 Legislative Council|publisher=Colorado General Assembly|accessdate=23 September 2016}}
- Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee{{cite web|url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cga-legislativecouncil/2012-senate-agriculture|title=2012 Senate Agriculture|publisher=Colorado General Assembly|accessdate=23 September 2016}}
- Senate Health and Human Services Committee{{cite web|url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cga-legislativecouncil/2010-senate-health-and-human-services|title=2010 Senate Health and Human Services|publisher=Colorado General Assembly|accessdate=23 September 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cga-legislativecouncil/2011-senate-health|title=2011 Senate Health|publisher=Colorado General Assembly|accessdate=23 September 2016}}
- Police Officers and Firefighters Pension Reform Committee{{cite web|url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cga-legislativecouncil/2011-police-officers-and-firefighters-pension-reform|title=2011 Police Officers and Firefighters Pension Reform|publisher=Colorado General Assembly|accessdate=23 September 2016}}
- Redistricting Committee{{cite web|url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cga-redistrict/committee-information|title=Committee Information|publisher=Colorado General Assembly: Redistricting in Colorado}}
=2016 U.S. Congress campaign=
{{main|United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado, 2016#District 6}}
Carroll was the 2016 Democratic nominee in Colorado's 6th congressional district. She was defeated by incumbent Republican Representative Mike Coffman in the general election, in which she won 42% of the vote.{{cite news |url=http://www.aurorasentinel.com/news/state-sen-morgan-carroll-makes-official-her-battle-against-mike-coffman-for-auroras-congressional-seat/ |title=State Sen. Morgan Carroll makes official her battle against Mike Coffman for Aurora's congressional seat|work=Aurora Sentinel|last=Sapin|first=Rachel|date=July 7, 2015 |accessdate=July 7, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Murray|first1=Jon|title=Mike Coffman defeats Morgan Carroll in latest attempt by Democrats to win seat|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2016/11/08/mike-coffman-morgan-carroll-congress-election-results/|accessdate=14 November 2016|publisher=The Denver Post|date=November 8, 2016}} Carroll was endorsed by Democratic Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, EMILY's List, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the League of Conservation Voters.{{cite news|url=http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060029507|title=Enviros back Coffman foe in competitive Colo. district|date=December 15, 2015|publisher=Environment & Energy Daily|last1=Yachnin|first1=Jennifer|accessdate=22 September 2016}} A super PAC called Immigrant Voters Wins supported her, spending $10,000 as of September 2016.{{cite news|last1=Hutchins|first1=Corey|title=Colorado's 6th District race: Mike Coffman vs. Morgan Carroll, a primer|url=http://www.coloradoindependent.com/161079/mike-coffman-morgan-carroll-colorado-6th-district|accessdate=22 September 2016|publisher=Colorado Independent|date=September 7, 2016}} Carroll raised the majority of her contributions from individual donors.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aurorasentinel.com/news/coffman-outpaces-carroll-quarterly-cd6-fundraising-holds-big-cash-lead/|title=Coffman outpaces Carroll again in quarterly CD6 fundraising, holds big cash lead - Aurora Sentinel|date=2016-07-19|language=en-US|access-date=2016-09-24}}
Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy organization backed by the Koch family, alleged that Carroll had conflicts of interest while serving in the state senate. The Denver Post rated the claim somewhat true and wrote that AFP's claim of a conflict of interest was not true in that Carroll had not benefited from the bill, but that the Colorado Ethics Board of the General Assembly had ruled that lawmakers should proactively disclose "potential" conflicts of interest.{{Cite web|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2016/10/09/fact-check-morgan-carroll-conflict-of-interest/|title=Fact Check: Did Morgan Carroll have a conflict of interest when she was state senator? – The Denver Post|access-date=2016-10-10}}
=Colorado Democratic Party=
After an unsuccessful campaign to become the next congressional representative for Colorado's 6th congressional district, Carroll shortly after announced her candidacy for the chairmanship of the Colorado Democratic Party. On March 11, 2017, Carroll was elected as the next chairperson of the party. During her tenure, the party achieved unprecedented influence by gaining or controlling all statewide executive offices and the state legislature, a process that ultimately led Colorado to shift from a swing state into a blue state.
In December 2022, Carroll announced that she planned not to run for re-election for the position.{{Cite web |last=Gorman |first=Tony |title=Colorado Democratic Party Chair Morgan Carroll to step down after six years |url=https://www.cpr.org/2022/12/07/colorado-democratic-party-chair-morgan-carroll-step-down/ |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=Colorado Public Radio |language=en}}
Personal life
Carroll was briefly married and is now divorced.{{Cite web|url=http://www.5280.com/magazine/2012/10/contender|title=The Contender|date=2012-09-24|access-date=2016-09-23}} Her longtime partner and former campaign manager, Mike Weissman, is a member of the Colorado House of Representatives.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aurorasentinel.com/news/state-sen-morgan-carroll-makes-official-her-battle-against-mike-coffman-for-auroras-congressional-seat/|title=State Sen. Morgan Carroll makes official her battle against Mike Coffman for Aurora's congressional seat - Aurora Sentinel|date=2015-07-07|language=en-US|access-date=2016-09-23}} Carroll is the author of Take Back Your Government: A Citizen's Guide to Grassroots Change (2011).{{cite news|url=http://www.westword.com/news/morgan-carrolls-new-book-teaches-readers-how-to-take-back-your-government-5882909|title=Morgan Carroll's new book teaches readers how to Take Back Your Government|first=Kelsey|last=Whipple|publisher=Westword|date=22 February 2012|accessdate=22 September 2016}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.morgancarroll.org/}}
- [http://carrollforcolorado.com/ U.S. Congress campaign website]
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=John Morse}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of the Colorado Senate|years=2013–2015}}
{{s-aft|after=Bill Cadman}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=Rick Palacio}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party|years=2017–2023}}
{{s-aft|after=Shad Murib}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll, Morgan}}
Category:21st-century members of the Colorado General Assembly
Category:21st-century American women politicians
Category:Boulder High School alumni
Category:University of Colorado Law School alumni
Category:Colorado Democratic Party chairs
Category:Democratic Party Colorado state senators
Category:Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives