Eric Morrison

Eric Morrison is an American politician serving as a member of the Delaware House of Representatives from the 27th district.[1] He assumed office in November 2020.[1]

Eric Morrison
Member of the Delaware House of Representatives
from the 27th district
Assumed office
November 4, 2020
Preceded byEarl Jaques Jr.
Personal details
BornSalisbury, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Democratic Socialists of America, Working Families Party
EducationUniversity of Delaware (BA)

A member of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, Morrison defeated conservative Democrat Earl Jaques Jr. in the 2020 primary by a 61%-39% margin.

Early life and education

Morrison was born in Salisbury, Maryland and raised in Bridgeville, Delaware.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in history from the University of Delaware in 1996.[3]

Career

After graduating from college, Morrison worked as a teacher. He later became a human resources director.[3]

Morrison won the Democratic primary for the 27th district of Delaware House of Representatives against incumbent Earl Jaques Jr., a Democrat who had voted against gay marriage and abstained on banning conversion therapy for minors in Delaware.[4] During the primary process, Jaques had attacked Morrison for performing in drag at a campaign fundraiser and said that Morrison being gay was "so far off-base for our district, it’s unbelievable." Jaques was forced to apologize to Morrison after his comments were criticized by Democratic leadership.[5] Morrison was listed among a "slate of insurgents" aligned with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party challenging moderate incumbents in Delaware.[6]

Personal life

Morrison is the first openly gay man elected to serve in Delaware General Assembly, after Senator Karen E. Peterson came out in 2013 while in office.[5] He was one of three LGBT candidates to be elected to the Delaware General Assembly in 2020, alongside Marie Pinkney and Sarah McBride.[7]

References
  1. Jacob Took, "Newcomer Morrison elected to state house in District 27". Newark Post, November 3, 2020.
  2. "Eric Morrison (Delaware)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
  3. "Representative Eric Morrison (D) - Delaware General Assembly". legis.delaware.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
  4. Lou Chibbaro Jr., "Gay man wins primary for Delaware State House seat". Washington Blade, September 16, 2020.
  5. Trudy Ring, "Dragged for Drag, Gay Candidate Wins in Del., Along With Queer Woman". The Advocate, September 17, 2020.
  6. Grim, Ryan; Higgins, Eoin (September 15, 2020). "A Slate of Insurgents Is Taking on the "Delaware Way"". The Intercept. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  7. Zoë Read, "Delaware General Assembly gains largest LGBTQ representation in history". WHYY-TV, November 4, 2020.


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