Kacey Morgan

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

Kacey Morgan

Independent

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Personal

Religion

Spiritual, Not Religious

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Kacey Morgan (independent) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Tennessee. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020. Morgan unofficially withdrew from the race but appeared on the general election ballot on November 3, 2020.

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

Biography

Kacey Morgan was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. She attended John Tyler Community College and Virginia State University for undergraduate study and earned a degree in 2012. She earned a graduate degree from the University of Oregon in 2013. Morgan's career experience includes working as an operations director and as a freelancer. She has served as a volunteer member with Walk Bike Nashville and as a member with Tennessee Women in Green.

Elections

2020

See also: United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2020

United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2020 (August 6 Democratic primary)

United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2020 (August 6 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Tennessee

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Tennessee on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bill Hagerty (R)	62.2	1,840,926
		Marquita Bradshaw (D)	35.2	1,040,691
		Elizabeth McLeod (Independent)	0.6	16,652
		Yomi Faparusi (Independent)	0.4	10,727
	Submit photo	Steven Hooper (Independent)	0.3	9,609
		Kacey Morgan (Independent) (Unofficially withdrew)	0.3	9,598
		Ronnie Henley (Independent)	0.3	8,478
		Aaron James (Independent)	0.2	7,203
		Eric William Stansberry (Independent)	0.2	6,781
		Dean Hill (Independent)	0.2	4,872
		Jeffrey Grunau (Independent)	0.1	4,160
		John Gentry (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	64

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,959,761
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tom Kovach (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee

Marquita Bradshaw defeated Robin Kimbrough Hayes, James Mackler, Gary Davis, and Mark Pickrell in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marquita Bradshaw	35.5	117,962
		Robin Kimbrough Hayes	26.6	88,492
		James Mackler	23.8	78,966
		Gary Davis	9.3	30,758
		Mark Pickrell	4.8	16,045

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 332,223
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Diana Onyejiaka (D)
• Tharon Chandler (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bill Hagerty	50.8	331,267
		Manny Sethi	39.4	257,223
		George Flinn Jr.	3.4	22,454
		Jon Henry	1.2	8,104
		Natisha Brooks	1.2	8,072
		Byron Bush	0.8	5,420
	Submit photo	Clifford Adkins	0.8	5,316
		Terry Dicus	0.3	2,279
		Tom Emerson Jr.	0.3	2,252
		David Schuster	0.3	2,045
	Submit photo	John Osborne	0.3	1,877
		Roy Cope	0.3	1,791
		Kent Morrell	0.3	1,769
		Aaron Pettigrew	0.2	1,622
	Submit photo	Glen Neal	0.2	1,233

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 652,724
= 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

• Garrett Nichols (R)
• Johnny Presley (R)
• Larry Crim (R)
• Jim Elkins (R)
• Josh Gapp (R)
• Clyde Benson (R)
• Geoffrey Stokes Nielson (R)

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kacey 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.

Growing up, Kacey's parents moved around a lot, but she spent most of her childhood in Knoxville, TN until 6th grade when Kacey's parents separated and she moved with her mother and two younger brothers back to her mom's home state of Virginia. Her mom worked hard to try to make ends meet, leading Kacey to take on a lot of responsibility at a young age, often caring for her brothers and working her first job at 15. Kacey continued to work for several years after high school before going to college in pursuit of a degree in Political Science on the path to becoming a lawyer. Instead, disgusted by our criminal justice system, Kacey moved toward working on livability projects after discovering how zoning laws have a negative impact on low income communities and people of color, especially in regard to their health.

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?

• Take the money and waste out of politics, more money should not equal more political power and we can certainly do a lot better things with the 47 billion dollars that has been spent on federal elections in the last 20 years.
• The current longest serving Senator has been in office for 46 years, it's time to set term limits for Senate and Congress and put an end to career politicians.
• Kacey believes that we need to invest in our future instead of hate. Building a wall doesn't just keep others out, it keeps us in and has a negative impact on wildlife. Instead of building a wall, let's talk about major investments in our infrastructure.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Equality is one of Kacey's core values. She believes that every living being deserves equal consideration to live a free life in pursuit of happiness  without pain or suffering and for Kacey, that includes non-human animals.

People may ask why we should consider animals when all people do not yet have equality, but Kacey believes that when you decide that equal rights should not require someone to be a member of your own species it becomes easy to carry that idea to our fellow human beings who are not like us.

Exploitation, discrimination or pain and suffering of any kind are terrible and should be prevented or minimized irrespective of race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, species or anything else that might make us 'different' from one another.

Kacey also cares deeply about the environment and sustainability. What happens to our planet impacts us all and we owe it to future generations to preserve and restore our environment.

Kacey never understood the idea of arguing over whether climate change is real or not. If in the end all we do is make a cleaner planet, with more trees, breathable air, and clean water, then will it all still be worth it?  Kacey likes to think so. Wilderness is not just a safe haven for the animals we share our planet with, but it is a world heritage and it is our duty to protect it. 

P.S. Styrofoam and plastic, we are coming for you.    

Read more at http://kaceymorgan.org/issues

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

Margaret Thatcher, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen - these are strong women who have taken risks to stand up for things they've believed in. I would rather lose everything than compromise on my moral beliefs or to take advantage of a situation.

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

Oh yowza, one single book, or film no. Growing up and to this day, I have a voracious thirst for knowledge and growth from world literature to religious texts, there are so many wonderful sources of information out there. Here are a few of my favorites:

Peter Singer, Practical Ethics
Martin Luther King, Jr, Various Speeches
A People's History, Howard Zinn
When Worlds Collide, PBS Special Film
What The Health, Film (Netflix)
Game Changers, Film (Netflix)
Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman

The Federalist Papers

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

Someone who makes decisions based in the interest of those who will be most negatively affected. In other words, someone who puts the people's interest before their own. And someone who can be trusted not to make decisions for financial gain.

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

At the risk of sounding like a cliche, honesty, integrity and leadership. I'm not afraid to stand up for what's right and I'm not afraid to stand up to billionaire bullies.

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

To represent the people without personal bias and to refrain from taking any bribes or special treatment from wealthy billionaires.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would love to do a complete overhaul of campaign spending and that is why I am working to run with NO MONEY. It shouldn't cost anything to win an election, and we shouldn't be wasting billions on campaign signs and commercials. It sounds like common sense, but we shouldn't be making plastic out of fossil fuels anymore. I want to leave a legacy of standing behind policies that make sense for people, the future of our planet and everyone on it.

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

Desert Storm. I remember all of the yellow ribbons for the soldiers. I was about 8 years old and that was the first time I ever felt moved to be politically involved. I will never forget the pain I could see in the families whose children were overseas.

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

My first job was working at a pizza place in my neighborhood. It was just under a mile from my house, so I could walk to get there and often did. I started at 15 and worked there for a little over a year before moving on to another restaurant job.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Art of Nonconformity, Chris Guillebeau

It was the first book of his that I read after my friend passed away that helped me to restructure my life and to pursue my true dreams like changing the world and running for office.

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

Nancy Drew

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

Dance Monkey, Tones and I

It's a really fun song and when I hang out with my 5 year old nephew, we enjoy listening to fun music and dancing.

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

Growing up we moved around a lot, so finding a place to call home or grow some roots has always felt a bit off for me. I came back to Tennessee to do just that and so far, the bulbs I planted last fall have not disappointed.

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

Avoiding a critical mass or civil unrest. From the environment to equality, we must clean up our country and create access to jobs that provide living wages.

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

No matter the size or population of the state, each has an equal vote in what happens in our country.

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

I think it is beneficial for senators to have previous leadership experience and a working understanding of government, but I think career politicians leave themselves open to far too much corruption.

What do you think of the filibuster?

Filibusters are a lot like weapons. Can they be a useful tool, yes, but they should be used sparingly and with caution.

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees?

Voting record, ethical background, previous experience in the field in which they are applying for.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other senators?

Absolutely. Relationships build trust and with trust, you can really work together to make some great things happen.

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

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Budget and Select Ethics

If you are a current senator, why did you join your current committees?

N/A

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

I am not running within a party and would seek to dismantle the stronghold the two party system has on the American people.

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

Not senators, but there are qualities I respect - and that's anyone who has been willing to publicly stand up against big oil, big agriculture and big banks as well as anyone who willingly limits their time in office (George Washington).

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

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External links

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Footnotes

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Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Hagerty (R)

Representatives

District 1

Diana Harshbarger (R)

District 2

Tim Burchett (R)

District 3

Charles Fleischmann (R)

District 4

Scott DesJarlais (R)

District 5

Andy Ogles (R)

District 6

John Rose (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

David Kustoff (R)

District 9

Steve Cohen (D)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (1)

Vacancies (1)