Joseph Morgan

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Joseph Morgan

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 4, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of Arizona, 2005

Graduate

University of Arizona, 2008

Personal

Birthplace

Tucson, Ariz.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Support technician

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Joseph Morgan (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Arizona's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on August 4, 2020.

Morgan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2020

Candidate profile

See also: Arizona's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020

Arizona's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Republican primary)

Arizona's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick defeated Brandon Martin, Iman-Utopia Layjou Bah, and Brandon Schlass in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ann Kirkpatrick (D)	55.1	209,945
		Brandon Martin (R)	44.9	170,975
		Iman-Utopia Layjou Bah (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	99
	Submit photo	Brandon Schlass (Common Sense Moderate) (Write-in)	0.0	35

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 381,054
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick defeated Peter Quilter in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ann Kirkpatrick	76.3	77,517
		Peter Quilter	23.7	24,035

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 101,552
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Nevin Kohler (D)
• Andres Portela (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Brandon Martin defeated Noran Ruden, Joseph Morgan, and Jordan Flayer in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brandon Martin	42.5	31,730
		Noran Ruden	33.6	25,049
		Joseph Morgan	23.9	17,802
	Submit photo	Jordan Flayer (Write-in)	0.1	52

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 74,633
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Mike Boyd (R)
• Justine Wadsack (R)
• Mike Ligon (R)
• Shay Stautz (R)
• Jason Bacon (R)
• James Schmidt (R)

Joseph Morgan

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I was born and raised in Tucson, AZ. I have a M.A. in U.S. History. My first job out of college was as a financial advisor. After four years, and successfully battling cancer, I switched career paths to teach history at Pima Community College. I was a conservative contributor to the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson's largest newspaper, until I announced my candidacy. I currently work for the Upward Bound program at Pima Community College, which assists underprivileged children in pursuing their dreams of higher education. We have a crisis of leadership in this country. Our country is currently run by well-pedigreed, well-connected, and mostly ill-informed political elites, who have little in common with the average American. Congress stopped being a representative voice for the people of this country and has become overseers of a bureaucratic state. Influence is the political capital of Washington D.C., and our elected leaders are little more than bought and paid for mouth pieces for the particular interest groups they serve. We must have public servants again. We must have representatives who are willing to listen to their constituents, so they can actually represent them, and above all, we must have members of Congress who will put this nation's needs above that of financiers and lobbyists. I have dedicated my life to community service work in Tucson, and am now asking for the honor to serve the people of Congressional District 2."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Service

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Leadership

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Vision

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Arizona District 2 in 2020.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Joseph Morgan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Morgan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Tucson, AZ. I have a M.A. in U.S. History. My first job out of college was as a financial advisor. After four years, and successfully battling cancer, I switched career paths to teach history at Pima Community College. I was a conservative contributor to the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson's largest newspaper, until I announced my candidacy. I currently work for the Upward Bound program at Pima Community College, which assists underprivileged children in pursuing their dreams of higher education. We have a crisis of leadership in this country. Our country is currently run by well-pedigreed, well-connected, and mostly ill-informed political elites, who have little in common with the average American. Congress stopped being a representative voice for the people of this country and has become overseers of a bureaucratic state. Influence is the political capital of Washington D.C., and our elected leaders are little more than bought and paid for mouth pieces for the particular interest groups they serve. We must have public servants again. We must have representatives who are willing to listen to their constituents, so they can actually represent them, and above all, we must have members of Congress who will put this nation's needs above that of financiers and lobbyists. I have dedicated my life to community service work in Tucson, and am now asking for the honor to serve the people of Congressional District 2.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Service

• Leadership

• Vision

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about seeing our government trimmed down to size. From the problems plaguing our healthcare system, to our broken education system, the root of the problems are all found in federal government assumption of powers it has no place in, and that its presence has only made worse. The only way to create more access in, decrease the cost of, and expand options to medical care, is get government out of it entirely! The same is true of education. Control must be returned to the people and families at the local level.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to George Washington. He was a man who wanted nothing more than to be left alone and live his life, yet, when his nation called upon him, he served. He is the only man to ever NOT want the presidency; to shun the limelight, and yet willingly put the nation's needs above his own personal desires.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I would reccommend the writings of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams; the pamhplet Common Sense by Thomas Paine, John Locke's Treatise on government, and the Bible if you want to understand my political philosophy.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Above all else, an elected official must be a servant of the people. They must see what they are doing, not as a job, or a career, but as a duty, for as long as they assume the responsibility.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am hardworking, well-read, articulate, and disciplined. I am committed and loyal, but above all, I am a man of my word.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities of any elected representative is to honestly represent their constituents; to educate themselves on the issues critical to those they represent, then help educate their constituents so that they might know why they are voting the way they are. They must hold themselves accountable, because then they won't have to worry about being held accountable by their constituents; they will already know where they stand.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like it to be said of me that I fought to enable those I serve to live freer and with more opportunity than those who came before them. That I served their needs, and not my own. That I honored the memory of all those who have died to make this country the greatest nation the world has ever known.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first memory I have is playing with my yellow dump truck at McDonald's with my grandparents. I was maybe 4?

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked as a financial advisor for AXA Advisors for 4 years. (This was my first job, as I spent my entire college career, working as a volunteer)

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible. It is the fountain of all Wisdom for me. It is more than just a book; it is a way of life, and it is filled with truth. My favorite fiction book is the Scarlet Pimpernel.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

The Wolverine.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Baby Shark

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My greatest struggle has been not treating people with respect, and being to biting with my tongue. Everyone is worthy of respect, and often, in my efforts to show how smart I am, or just to win an argument, I can be very condescending and unkind. Controlling my tongue and minding my temper has been something I have struggled with. If you weren't referencing that, I have personally battled cancer, and believe me, I have great empathy for those struggling with disease themselves.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The U.S. House hasn't possessed many qualities that make it unique in a long time. There is no longer even vague discussion over bills they sign, and there is absolutely ZERO representation from the majority of the members. As originally designed, it was a chance for the people to actually be heard. This was unique to the world. That hasn't been true for a long time.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I don't believe it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics. In fact, I view it as a liability. Knowing how to game the system or cut deals is not what the people who we represent us need. They need someone to speak for them and promote real ideas that will help solve the problems that affect us all. This will of course require working with other, and listening to them, but that assumes the other representatives are there to do the same thing, and sadly, they are not any longer. They spend their time raising money, and overseeing the bureaucratic state, and then holding sham votes on legislation written by members of the bureaucratic state. Knowing how to do this well, will kneecap the ability of most to actually even consider what's in the best interest of their constituents.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Internationally, China is our greatest threat. Their control of our strategic supply of materials critical to our military weapon systems, much of our pharmaceuticals, and essential technologies cannot be ignored or shrugged away.
On the home front, we must get government ouf of medical care, otherwise we will never get costs down, never see access expanded, never see options made more available. We must balance the budget, and live within our means, and once we do that, we must get Social Security out from under the purview of Congress, as the colossal mismanagement of funds has created a massive bubble within the system itself, and will end in disaster for Americans down the road. We must also radically change our immigration system to make it easier for people to come in legally, but end things that make it easier to come in illegally.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I would like to be on the Armed Services Committee, Appropriations, or Energy and Commerce.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes, two years is a sufficient term, because it gives the people the best chance at holding a representative accountable.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I am opposed to term limits because they would only increase the power of the unelected bureaucrats. All elected people have a term, and it's the next vote.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I have no interst in joining the leadership of my Party in the House. That could change in time.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I admire the life and service of John Quincy Adams.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I met a woman named Diane who has over $600,000 in medical bills, and has no idea how she will ever get them paid off. She doesn't want more government contorl in her life, nor does she want Medicare for all, because that means more government, but she has gotten no answers from anyone else on how to actually lower costs for care. She is not worried about losing her home thankfully, as she has been able to make payments, but she does worry she will never pay off this debt, and doesn't no how or if anything can be done. This is why I am so passionate about helping fix our issues in the medical care arena. There are real people suffering, and all anyone in government seems to suggest is more government. We must get government out of the medical care business, otherwise people like Diane will never get the relief they need.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

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External links

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Footnotes

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New Mexico's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Martin Heinrich (D)

Ben Luján (D)

Representatives

District 1

Melanie Ann Stansbury (D)

District 2

Gabriel Vasquez (D)

District 3

Teresa Leger Fernandez (D)

Democratic Party (5)