RALEIGH — Republican Catherine Truitt has defeated Democrat Jen Mangrum to become North Carolina’s Superintendent of Public Education.
With all but three of the state’s 2,662 precincts reporting, Truitt held a lead of 51.4% to 48.6% for Mangrum.
Truitt is the chancellor of Western Governors University North Carolina. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in 1994 and a master’s degree from the University of Washington in 1997. She was previously a high school teacher and an education adviser for former Gov. Pat McCrory.
Mangrum was the Democrat nominee for the NC Senate in District 30 in 2018, losing to Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden). She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from UNCW, a master’s degree in early childhood education from East Carolina University, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from UNC Greensboro. Her career experience includes working as a classroom teacher and as an associate professor in teacher education at UNCG.
