Nate Morris Last updated September 18, 2025 American businessman (born 1980)
Nathaniel Ryan Morris (born October 16, 1980) is an American businessman and political candidate. [ 1] [ 2] He is the chairman and CEO of 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] In June 2025, Morris announced that he would make a bid for the Kentucky U.S. Senate seat on a podcast with Donald Trump Jr. , [ 4] [ 5] and was endorsed by the late political commentator Charlie Kirk of Turning Point Action , a few months shortly before his assassination . [ 6]
Early life Originally from Lexington, Kentucky , [ 7] Morris grew up in Louisville with his single mother [ 8] [ failed verification ] and maternal grandparents; his mother worked multiple jobs and relied on food stamps to raise him. [ 9] [ 10] A ninth-generation Kentuckian, Morris’ family descends from Morgan County , in Appalachia . [ 11] [ 12] He was close to his grandfather, Lewis Sexton, who was a former president of the Ford plant United Auto Workers union in Louisville. [ 7] [ 13] 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] [ 14]
Beginning in 1999, Morris attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. on an academic scholarship, [ 13] [ 14] where he studied international affairs, was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa . [ 15] [ 16] Morris attended graduate school at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs . [ 13] [ 9] [ 17] Morris also graduated from the University of Oxford ’s Said Business School , where he was a member of St Hugh's College ; [ 18] he is also a member of the Oxford Union .[ citation needed ]
Early career and politics Morris is a Republican and is noted as a political fundraiser. [ 19] Morris raised over $50,000 for President George W. Bush 's 2004 reelection campaign. [ 14] 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 . [ 14]
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 2015 book, Taking a Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America . Morris is a political ally of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance [ 20] [ 21] and was among the biggest donors in Kentucky to Donald Trump 's 2024 presidential campaign . [ 22]
In early 2025, Morris expressed an interest in possibly running for U.S. Senate or governor in Kentucky. [ 23] [ 24] [ 25] In February 2025, Morris criticized Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell for voting against confirming Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth to Trump's cabinet. [ 26] [ 27] Later that month, Donald Trump Jr. expressed support for Morris's public criticism of McConnell. [ 28] In March 2025, Time reported that Vice President JD Vance had encouraged Morris to run for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky. [ 21] In June 2025, Morris announced that he would make a bid for the U.S. Senate on a podcast with Donald Trump Jr. , [ 29] [ 30] and was endorsed by Charlie Kirk of Turning Point Action at an event in Shepherdsville . [ 31] Morris was also endorsed by U.S. Senators Jim Banks [ 32] and Bernie Moreno . [ 33]
Business Morris founded Rubicon Technologies, formerly known as Rubicon Global, in 2008 after collaborating with a high school friend, Marc Spiegel. [ 17] [ 9] [ 13] 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. [ 34] 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 . [ 35]
Mr. Morris stepped down as Rubicon's CEO on October 13, 2022. [ 36] 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. [ 37] [ 38]
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. [ 39] [ better source needed ]
Morris was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Pikeville . [ 40]
References ↑ "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 . ↑ 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 ) ↑ "Rubicon Technologies Announces Leadership Transition" . investors.rubicon.com . Archived from the original on 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2022-10-17 . ↑ Pinski, Hannah. "Nate Morris announces run for Sen. Mitch McConnell's seat" . The Courier-Journal . Retrieved 2025-06-28 . ↑ Schreiner, Bruce. "Kentucky Senate hopeful Nate Morris pledges his loyalty to President Trump" . ABC News . Retrieved 2025-06-28 . ↑ "MAGA supporter Charlie Kirk explains why he's backing Nate Morris for US Senate" . The Courier-Journal . Retrieved 2025-06-30 . 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 . 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 . 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 . ↑ "Meet the Republican Senate candidate in Kentucky who could be the next JD Vance" . NBC News . 2025-08-06. Retrieved 2025-09-03 . ↑ "Presidential Fellows | Gatton College of Business and Economics" . gatton.uky.edu . Retrieved 2025-02-20 . ↑ "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 . 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 . 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 . ↑ 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 . ↑ 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 . 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 . ↑ "Nate Morris on LinkedIn: #internationalwomensday #happyinternationalwomensday" . www.linkedin.com . Archived from the original on 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2024-03-08 . ↑ 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 . ↑ 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 . 1 2 Cortellessa, Eric (27 March 2025). "For 2026, Trump Bolsters Young Upstarts to Carry MAGA Torch" . TIME. Retrieved 2 April 2025 . ↑ 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 . ↑ 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 . ↑ 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 . ↑ 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 . ↑ "McConnell breaks with GOP in vote against Gabbard" . spectrumnews1.com . Retrieved 2025-02-22 . ↑ 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 . ↑ "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 . ↑ Pinski, Hannah. "Nate Morris announces run for Sen. Mitch McConnell's seat" . The Courier-Journal . Retrieved 2025-06-28 . ↑ Schreiner, Bruce. "Kentucky Senate hopeful Nate Morris pledges his loyalty to President Trump" . ABC News . Retrieved 2025-06-28 . ↑ "MAGA supporter Charlie Kirk explains why he's backing Nate Morris for US Senate" . The Courier-Journal . Retrieved 2025-06-30 . ↑ Samuels, Brett (2025-07-24). "Trump ally Banks endorses Nate Morris in Kentucky Senate race" . The Hill . Retrieved 2025-08-01 . ↑ "Bernie Moreno endorses Nate Morris in Kentucky Senate race to replace Mitch McConnell" . POLITICO . 2025-07-30. Retrieved 2025-08-01 . ↑ 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 . ↑ Brustein, Joshua; Huet, Ellen (2 October 2017). "Can the 'Uber of Trash' Clean Up Its Own Business?" . Bloomberg Business . ↑ "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 . ↑ 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 . ↑ "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 . ↑ "Morris Industries acquires Republic Financial" . The Lane Report. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2025 . ↑ "About Nate Morris" . Nate Morris . 29 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-11 . ↑ "Council on Foreign Relations Membership Roster" . www.cfr.org . Retrieved 2025-06-25 . This page is based on this
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