Nate Morris

Last updated
Nate Morris
Nate Morris by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
Morris in 2025
Born
Nathaniel Ryan Morris

(1980-10-16) October 16, 1980 (age 44)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Education George Washington University (BA)
Princeton University
St Hugh's College, Oxford (MBA)
Political party Republican
Spouse
Jane Mosbacher
​
(m. 2011)​
Relatives Robert Mosbacher Jr. (father-in-law)

Nathaniel Ryan Morris (born October 16, 1980) is an American businessman and political candidate. [1] [2] He is the chairman and CEO of Lexington, Kentucky-based company Morris Industries, which includes among its subsidiaries Republic Financial. He also founded the company Rubicon Technologies, where he was formerly CEO. [3] He is a Republican candidate for the 2026 United States Senate election in Kentucky. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Early life

Originally from Lexington, [7] Morris grew up in Louisville, Kentucky with his mother [8] [ failed verification ] and maternal grandparents. [9] A ninth-generation Kentuckian, Morris’ family descends from Morgan County, in Appalachia. [10] [11] He was close to his grandfather, Lewis Sexton, who was a former president of the Ford plant United Auto Workers union in Louisville. [7] [12] While attending Eastern High School, [8] [ failed verification ] Morris reportedly developed political aspirations after multiple spinal fractures derailed his hopes of a football career in the fall of 1996. [9] [13]

Beginning in 1999, Morris attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. on an academic scholarship, [12] [13] where he studied international affairs, was member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, and elected Phi Beta Kappa. [14] [15] Morris attended graduate school at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. [12] [9] [16] Morris also graduated from the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, where he was a member of St Hugh's College; [17] he is also a member of the Oxford Union.[ citation needed ]

Early career and politics

JD Vance with Morris, July 2024 J D Vance and Nate Morris.jpg
JD Vance with Morris, July 2024

Morris is a Republican and is noted as a political fundraiser. [18] Morris raised over $50,000 for President George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign. [13] He has worked in a variety of roles for several Kentucky Republicans, including the U.S House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Department of Labor. [13]

Morris is a friend and supporter of U.S. Senator Rand Paul. He traveled with Paul to Israel in 2013 and raised money for his Senate and presidential campaigns, [7] becoming one of his top fund-raisers. [9] Paul wrote about Morris in his book, Taking a Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America . Morris is a political ally of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance [19] [20] and was among the biggest donors in Kentucky to Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. [21]

In early 2025, Morris expressed an interest in possibly running for U.S. Senate or governor in Kentucky. [22] [23] [24] In February 2025, Morris criticized Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell for voting against Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence and also for voting against Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary. [25] [26] Later that month, Donald Trump Jr. expressed support for Morris's public criticism of McConnell. [27] In March 2025, Time reported that Vice President JD Vance had encouraged Morris to run for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky. [20] In June 2025, Morris announced that he would make a bid for the US Senate on a podcast with Donald Trump Jr., [28] [29] and was endorsed by Charlie Kirk of Turning Point Action at an event in Shepherdsville. [30] Morris was also endorsed by US Senators Jim Banks [31] and Bernie Moreno. [32]

Business

Morris founded Rubicon Technologies, formerly known as Rubicon Global, in 2008 after collaborating with a high school friend, Marc Spiegel. [16] [9] [12] The company is focused on business-to-business and municipal waste and recycling services. Rubicon became a public company in August 2022, listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RBT. [33] A 2017 Bloomberg article described the company's struggles with its technology and business model, as it attempted to distinguish itself from a traditional waste broker. [34]

Mr. Morris stepped down as Rubicon's CEO on October 13, 2022. [35] CTO Phil Rodoni succeeded Morris as CEO. As part of the transition, Morris retained a consulting role, was chairman, and a member of the board of directors. [36] [37]

Morris founded Morris Industries in 2010, where he serves as chairman and CEO, headquartered in Lexington. Morris Industries acquired Republic Financial, an insurance company, in 2024. [38] [ better source needed ]

Morris was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Pikeville. [39]

Personal life

Morris married Jane Mosbacher on New Year's Eve 2011. She is the daughter of Robert Mosbacher Jr., the head of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation under George W. Bush, and granddaughter of George H. W. Bush's commerce secretary Robert Mosbacher Sr. [7]

Morris is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations [40] and the National Society Sons of the American Revolution.[ citation needed ]

References

  1. ↑ "Prominent Republican senator decides not to seek reelection in 2026". oregonlive. Associated Press. 2025-02-20. Archived from the original on 2025-02-21. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  2. ↑ Today, MARK MAYNARD, Kentucky (2025-02-20). "Wasting no time, Daniel Cameron announces run for McConnell's seat". Kentucky Today. Retrieved 2025-02-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "Rubicon Technologies Announces Leadership Transition". investors.rubicon.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  4. ↑ Pinski, Hannah. "Nate Morris announces run for Sen. Mitch McConnell's seat". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  5. ↑ Schreiner, Bruce. "Kentucky Senate hopeful Nate Morris pledges his loyalty to President Trump". ABC News. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  6. ↑ "MAGA supporter Charlie Kirk explains why he's backing Nate Morris for US Senate". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Goldmacher, Shane (18 June 2014). "Rand Paul's New Confidant". National Journal. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  8. 1 2 Fields, Greg (1998). "Youth dreams of presidency". The Courier Journal from Louisville, Kentucky: 21. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Zax, David (October 25, 2014). "Dividing and Conquering the Trash". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Presidential Fellows | Gatton College of Business and Economics". gatton.uky.edu. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  11. ↑ "Nate Morris Fellowship at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress | Academic Commons". academiccommons.gwu.edu. Archived from the original on 2025-02-20. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Konrad, Alex (January 10, 2017). "Meet Rubicon Global, The Startup Using Uber's Playbook To Disrupt Your Trash". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Cheves, John (29 August 2004). "Kentucky 'Maverick' reels in serious cash for GOP campaign". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  14. ↑ Gaines, Patrice (August 21, 1999). "A Look at History From Room 723". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  15. ↑ Bykowicz, Julie (May 29, 2014). "Rand Paul's money man Nate Morris leverages trash contacts for political cash". Lexington Herald Leader. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  16. 1 2 Kosoff, Maya (June 2, 2016). "Why Did Leo Dicaprio Join a Garbage Start-up—Literally?". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Nate Morris on LinkedIn: #internationalwomensday #happyinternationalwomensday". www.linkedin.com. Archived from the original on 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  18. ↑ Peters, Jeremy; Martin, Jonathan (22 March 2014). "Paul Has Ideas, but His Backers Want 2016 Plan". New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  19. ↑ Horn, Austin (11 March 2025). "On Trump Jr. podcast, a possible Kentucky Senate candidate courts Trump, bashes McConnell". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  20. 1 2 Cortellessa, Eric (27 March 2025). "For 2026, Trump Bolsters Young Upstarts to Carry MAGA Torch". TIME. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  21. ↑ Bertucci, Leo (24 October 2024). "Who are Kentucky's biggest campaign presidential megadonors in 2024? See the list". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  22. ↑ Catanese, David (13 February 2025). "'Fog of war': Kentucky Republicans brace for potential 3-way race for US Senate in 2026". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  23. ↑ Pinski, Hannah (11 February 2025). "With Barr reportedly in the running, here's who else could seek McConnell's seat". Louisville Courier-Journal . Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  24. ↑ Hughes, Siobhan (16 February 2025). "Mitch McConnell Makes a Lonely Stand Against Trump". The Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on 16 February 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  25. ↑ "McConnell breaks with GOP in vote against Gabbard". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
  26. ↑ Mascaro, Lisa. "McConnell tests the strengths and limits of his power opposing a trio of Trump's Cabinet nominees". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2025-02-15. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
  27. ↑ "Trump Jr. piggybacks on remarks made by Lexington businessman about Mitch McConnell". LEX 18 News - Lexington, KY (WLEX). 2025-02-12. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
  28. ↑ Pinski, Hannah. "Nate Morris announces run for Sen. Mitch McConnell's seat". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  29. ↑ Schreiner, Bruce. "Kentucky Senate hopeful Nate Morris pledges his loyalty to President Trump". ABC News. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  30. ↑ "MAGA supporter Charlie Kirk explains why he's backing Nate Morris for US Senate". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  31. ↑ Samuels, Brett (2025-07-24). "Trump ally Banks endorses Nate Morris in Kentucky Senate race". The Hill. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  32. ↑ "Bernie Moreno endorses Nate Morris in Kentucky Senate race to replace Mitch McConnell". POLITICO. 2025-07-30. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  33. ↑ Altus, Kristen (August 16, 2022). "Taking out the trash: Rubicon brings waste digital marketplace to NYSE as the company goes public". Fox Business. Archived from the original on August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  34. ↑ Brustein, Joshua; Huet, Ellen (2 October 2017). "Can the 'Uber of Trash' Clean Up Its Own Business?". Bloomberg Business .
  35. ↑ "Rubicon's stock has struggled since going public. Is the SPAC trend to blame?". Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  36. ↑ Cawthon, Haley (October 17, 2022). "Rubicon Technologies names new CEO". www.bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  37. ↑ "Rubicon Technologies Promotes CTO Phil Rodoni To Succeed Nate Morris As CEO". October 14, 2022. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  38. ↑ "Morris Industries acquires Republic Financial". The Lane Report. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  39. ↑ "About Nate Morris". Nate Morris. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  40. ↑ "Council on Foreign Relations Membership Roster". www.cfr.org. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
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