Jeff Jackson, a target of GOP maps, announces bid for NC attorney general

A second member of North Carolina’s congressional delegation is leaving Washington to run for state attorney general.

Rep. Jeff Jackson, a Democrat from Charlotte, announced his candidacy for attorney general on Thursday, the day after the state’s legislators approved a new congressional map that favors Republicans in his district.

He told McClatchy he sees the job as a chance to fight for families and that he is uniquely qualified as a former prosecutor and veteran.

“I’ve been a prosecutor in a courtroom and a soldier in Afghanistan,” Jackson told McClatchy. “I’m a husband and a father. And I’m the last person corrupt politicians want to see as Attorney General because I don’t care about what party they’re in.

“It’s got nothing to do with parties. It’s about doing what’s right.”

The attorney general serves as the state’s top law enforcement official and oversees the Department of Justice.

Under state law, the attorney general represents state officials and entities in legal matters, can provide legal opinions to the governor, state lawmakers or public officials when asked, can consult or advise judicial officials as allowed and can intervene in court proceedings on both the state and federal level. The attorney general also handles criminal appeals from state trial courts.

Jackson said he’s ready to fight organized crime targeting residents’ bank accounts, fentanyl targeting kids, and corporations that break the rules with price-gouging or pollute North Carolina’s water.

Bishop vs. Jackson

Jackson’s fellow House member, Rep. Dan Bishop, a Republican from Charlotte who moved to Waxhaw, is also seeking the seat.

The two are already considered the likely front-runners in the race and will face off against one another in the general election, if they win their primaries.

Jackson, a 41-year-old freshman, has made a name for himself in Congress with his ability to reach constituents — and a larger audience of 2.4 million followers — through TikTok, taking his audience through the goings-on in Congress in easily digestible soundbites.

Referring to Jackson’s use of TikTok and that app’s Chinese ownership, Bishop issued a statement Thursday on X, formerly Twitter, saying he “Welcomes Chinese Social Media Star to AG’s Race.”

Bishop then tweeted a statement made to look like it came from Jackson’s campaign and was written in Chinese, with a translation saying Jackson is “helping China spy on North Carolina.”

Bishop, a 59-year-old Republican, is also an outspoken member of North Carolina’s delegation, though on the opposite end of the spectrum. Though Bishop has a social media presence, he tends to rely on conservative media outlets to get out his views. He is a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, and several of his colleagues in that group quickly tweeted their support of Bishop when he announced his new campaign.

Jackson may have one built-in advantage over Bishop, though. A Republican hasn’t been elected attorney general since the late 1800s — though Josh Stein, the state’s current attorney general who is running for governor, only won his 2020 election against Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill with 50.1% of the vote. Stein, who has been attorney general since 2017, is running for governor.

On Wednesday, the Democratic Attorneys General Association announced it has reserved $4 million in television advertising, earmarked for the race, and said the organization is committed to protecting the seat.

Jackson’s career, and new maps

Jackson serves in the Army National Guard. He enlisted after the 9/11 attacks and trained at Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg, before being deployed to Afghanistan.

He then went to law school and became an assistant district attorney in Gaston County, where he tried more than 100 cases.

In 2014, he was elected to the North Carolina Senate, where he served until coming to Congress.

Jackson’s announcement comes after months of rumors that he would walk away from his congressional seat. But state lawmakers didn’t leave Jackson much choice.

Last week, the state Senate published two potential maps of North Carolina’s newly redrawn congressional districts that both left Jackson without a viable path to win.

And he did what he always does: took to social media.

“New congressional maps for NC just dropped,” Jackson wrote on X. “A brutal gerrymander. Just being honest: I’m probably toast in Congress.”

Battle between Republicans

Jackson first came to Congress after an intraparty fight between two Republicans.

Many believed that in the 2022 elections, state lawmakers had originally drawn what became Jackson’s district as a potential easy win for House Speaker Tim Moore. At the same time, lawmakers diluted the far-western 11th Congressional District of Republicans, seen by some as a message to Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a now-28-year-old firebrand Republican who had been giving them trouble.

But instead of taking their reprimand, Cawthorn took the opportunity to challenge Moore in the district believed to have been drawn for the House speaker. Moore, a 53-year-old Republican from Kings Mountain, announced he wouldn’t run for Congress.

Court-appointed experts redrew the district to be favorable for a Democrat to win, and Jackson ran for the seat and won.

But Jackson’s days seemed numbered after the newly Republican state Supreme Court made clear it would not stand in the way of the legislature drawing lines as it saw fit.

Lawmakers have now approved a congressional map, which is likely to unseat several Democrats. Republicans turned Jackson’s district into a favorable one for Moore.

Moore has not yet announced whether he’ll seek to succeed Jackson, but says he will not run again for House speaker or for reelection to the state House, and is considering multiple options, including a run for Congress.