by Joe Killian, NC Newsline
October 26, 2023
U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson will run for N.C. Attorney General, he announced in a statement Thursday morning.
The announcement comes after new congressional maps were passed by the North Carolina General Assembly’s GOP majority, shifting Jackson from a 14th Congressional District in which he won last year 58 percent to a newly drawn district that leans Republican by 15 points.
“It is blatant political corruption by a small group of politicians,” Jackson said of the redistricting, saying his new district would be “completely unwinnable under any circumstances” for a Democrat.
Instead, Jackson said, he is turning his attention to the Attorney General’s office being vacated by Josh Stein, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.
“The job of the Attorney General is to protect people,” Jackson said. “It’s our state’s top prosecutor, but also plays a direct role in guarding against consumer fraud, keeping kids safe online, combating the opioid epidemic, and protecting clean air and water.
“I’m a former prosecutor, current Major in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, and I’ve spent many years in elected office working on all of those issues,” Jackson said. “Put all that together, and I think I’m built for this job.”
Jackson lives in Charlotte with his wife Marissa and their three children, represented the 37th District in the N.C. Senate from 2014 until his election to Congress last year. In 2021, he announced a run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Richard Burr but ultimately left the race and endorsed Cheri Beasley. Beasley lost the race to Republican Ted Budd. At 41, he is part of a group of Millenial politicians who have embraced — and often garnered state and national media attention through — social media.
Jackson said he expects to be facing U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, a Charlotte Republican now representing the 8th Congressional District, in the general election for attorney general. He also expects “an extremely close race,” he said in his statement Thursday, predicting a final margin of less than two percent.
“I’m sure that wasn’t the intention of the politicians who redrew the map,” Jackson said of his decision to run for attorney general.”But then again, the consequences of corruption are often unpredictable. And in this case, they may include electing a new Attorney General who will never, ever shy away from going after political corruption, no matter which party.”
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