Polls have closed. See live election results for NC superintendent of public schools

Early results show Democrat Mo Green leading Republican MAGA candidate Michele Morrow in the race for North Carolina superintendent of public instruction.

Green is the former superintendent of Guilford County Schools, the state's third-largest school district. He is the former executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation , a group that funds progressive causes.

Morrow is a registered nurse, conservative activist, homeschool parent and former Christian missionary. She defeated Superintendent Catherine Truitt in the Republican primary, during which she accused the incumbent of being insufficiently conservative .

Truitt declined to endorse either Green or Morrow.

National attention on Morrow

The race has gotten national attention due to CNN reports about Morrow's past social media posts. Those include talking about killing Democrats such as former President Barack Obama, and a video encouraging President Donald Trump to use the military to stay in power in 2021.

Morrow had filmed the Trump video the night of Jan. 6, 2021, after marching on the U.S. Capitol with her children. Morrow has said she did not storm the building as other protesters did.

During a recent campaign rally in Charlotte, Obama called Morrow's comments "crazy stuff ."

Morrow has accused public schools of being "an absolute cesspool of evil and lies" and "indoctrination centers." She kept up her fiery rhetoric during the campaign, telling supporters " this is war " and falsely claiming the + in LGBTQ+ stands for pedophilia .

Morrow has said Green is too extreme. She has pointed to how the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation gave grants to groups that support Black Lives Matter and removing police officers from schools.

Polls show close race

Polls have shown the race was close, with Green holding a two- to three-point lead over Morrow.

An Elon University poll released last week had Green with an eight-point lead over Morrow .

Green, who has a nearly 10-to-1 fundraising edge over Morrow , used his war chest to run ads accusing Morrow of being too extreme.

The new superintendent is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the state Department of Public Instruction . This includes the $11 billion in state funding for public schools that DPI distributes to local school districts and charter schools.

The superintendent advocates and informs the state on issues in education, makes recommendations for policy changes to the legislature and governor and works with the State Board of Education .

Waiting for the results to come in

Green is watching the election results from home Tuesday night.

Morrow is following events at Sophie's Grill and Bar in Cary, a favorite spot for Republicans. The entire venue is decorated with a variety of Donald Trump signs, with more signs for conservative candidates in local races inside.

Morrow was met with cheers and applause when she arrived at 7:50 p.m.

Morrow told reporters she was "cautiously optimistic" ahead of Tuesday evening and that her supporters are excited not just to elect her but also to elect Trump.

Morrow said she wants to bring "discipline and order back to the classroom."

"I want to make sure that they (teachers) are safe and they have the backing of the administrators," Morrow said.