The Campaign for Free College Tuition (CFCT) is a nonprofit organization which advocates for eliminating tuition fees at public colleges. ¹ CFCT argues that college educations should be paid for by federal tax dollars and suggests that having higher education funded by tax dollars is not a radical idea. ² CFCT claims the movement is bipartisan, but the organization is staffed with individuals directly connected with the Democratic Party. ¹

History

The Campaign for Free College Tuition (CFCT) held its first official meeting in Washington D.C. in May of 2013. In January 2014, the group made a four-step plan to eliminate tuition fees using federal taxpayer funds and some original members exited the organization because they disagreed with its directives. In the summer of 2014, the group launched under the name Redeeming America’s Promise with former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard (D) and former Delaware Gov. Michael Castle (R) showing public support for the group. In November of 2014, the nonprofit was officially called the “Campaign for Free College Tuition.” In 2015, CFCT expressed public support for the Obama administration’s push to eliminate college tuition. CFCT still operates, but has seen next to no growth since 2022, with its post-2022 efforts going toward researching public perception of federally funded college. ³

Leadership

Ryan Morgan is the CEO of the Campaign for Free College Tuition. He is a political strategist that also founded Veracity Media (now BCom) and PACtion. ¹ Morgan states that he works to “get progressive candidates elected.” ⁴ His company PACtion is a data analytics company which focuses on raising money exclusively for democratic campaigns, PACs, and nonprofits. ⁵

Doug Ross is the vice president of the Campaign for Free College Tuition. He graduated from Princeton in 1972 and in 1978 was elected a Democratic member of the Michigan state Senate. In 1984, Ross became the Michigan Secretary of Commerce and in 1991 he became president of the Corporation for Enterprise Development. During Bill Clinton’s first term as President, Ross was appointed an Assistant Secretary of Labor. In 2000, Ross began opening charter schools including the University Preparatory Academy and the American Promise School. He is also a senior advisor to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D). ^{1 6}

Laird Harris is the secretary and treasurer of the Campaign for Free College Tuition. He was the assistant director of the Community Services Administration during the Carter administration and the Chief Policy Assistant for the Washington Gov. Booth Gardner (D). In 1987, he founded a public affairs firm called Harris and Smith Public Affairs. ¹

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) is the co-chair of the Campaign for Free College Tuition. Grisham was a U.S. Representative from 2013 to 2018. In 2019, she was elected as Governor of New Mexico. She supports abortion access, increased restrictions on firearms, and marijuana legalization. Grisham is also a member of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance. ^{7 8}

James Blanchard is the co-chair of the Campaign for Free College Tuition. Blanchard served four terms in Congress between 1975 and 1983. He served as governor of Michigan from 1983 to 1991 and was named the U.S. Ambassador to Canada during the Clinton administration. ⁷

Will Haskell is a board member of the Campaign for Free College Tuition. He graduated from Georgetown University in 2018 and served in the Connecticut State Senate from 2019 to 2023 as a Democrat. He was the Senate Chairman of the Higher Education Committee where he worked to pass legislation that lowered the price of tuition in Connecticut. ⁷

1. “Who We Are.” Free College Now. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.freecollegenow.org/who-we-are.
2. “Resource Kit.” Free College Now, August 24, 2015. https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/redeemingamericaspromise/pages/156/attachments/original/1445270070/CFCT-WhoWeAre_2a.pdf?1445270070.
3.  “About Us .” Free College Now, Summer 2017. https://www.freecollegenow.org/about_cfct.
4. Morgan, Ryan. “Founder, Veracity Media.” LinkedIn. 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-morgan-338325150/
5. “The Leader in Democratic List Acquisition.” PACtion. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.paction.us/.
6. “Doug Ross.” Progressive Policy Institute. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.progressivepolicy.org/people/doug-ross/.
7. “Advisory Council.” Free College Now. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.freecollegenow.org/advisory_council.
8. “Signed Legislation.” Office of the Governor – Michelle Lujan Grisham, 2025. https://www.governor.state.nm.us/about-the-governor/signed-legislation/.