Voters have elected Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson to be the next attorney general of North Carolina, winning just over 51% of overall ballots casted as of early Wednesday morning.
The first-term congressman will succeed Democratic incumbent Attorney General Josh Stein, whose electoral victory for governor of North Carolina was announced shortly after polls closed Tuesday evening.
Jackson defeated outgoing Republican congressman Dan Bishop in a competitive race that drew more attention and millions of dollars in what both campaigns said was the most expensive attorney general race.
“To every person in this state, whether you voted for me or not, it will be an incredible honor to serve as your next attorney general and I will give this job everything that I’ve got,” Jackson said in a victory speech around midnight Wednesday.
“The attorney general’s job is to be a shield for those in harm’s way, whether it’s violent crime, folks pushing fentanyl into communities, scammers going after your bank account, people polluting the air or the water,” said Jackson said. “It will be my job to stand up to them on your behalf.”
With more than 99% of precincts reporting, Jackson led by more than 2% of the vote or about 155,000 votes.
Bishop, a fierce supporter of former President Donald Trump, attacked Jackson as a “woke” candidate who would not be hard enough on crime.
As a state Republican legislator, Bishop is best known as one of the architects of the unpopular House Bill 2, or so-called “bathroom bill,” that restricted transgender access to public bathrooms and led to a national boycott of North Carolina.
Bishop hoped to be the state’s first Republican attorney general in more than 125 years. He conceded the race to Jackson before midnight Tuesday.
In a concession speech at an event in Monroe, Bishop said he had been “eager to lead the restoration of law and order in North Carolina, to be a champion for the men and women of law enforcement who richly deserve one and to reinvigorate the NC Department of Justice to pursue the law and justice rather than ideology.”
Jackson, 42, has served in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District since 2022. He previously served four terms as a state senator. He is an Afghan war veteran and member of the National Guard.
Known for posting conversational videos giving updates on what’s happening on Capitol Hill, the TikTok-savvy Jackson has a large online following with close to 900,000 combined followers on X and Instagram, and 2.2 million on TikTok.
The winner of this race is also considered a future contender for governor.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper was previously attorney general for 16 years before being elected to two gubernatorial terms, and Stein, the incumbent attorney general, coasted to victory Tuesday night over Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.
Jackson, a candidate who favors abortion access in North Carolina, billed himself in his campaign as a ‘non-partisan’ voice who would advocate for North Carolinians in criminal justice, public safety and consumer matters.
In Congress, Jackson drew attention to himself for voting on a bill to ban TikTok in the U.S. unless the Chinese government sells its stake in the platform.
Jackson says he seeks to address issues such as fraud, environmental concerns and the fentanyl epidemic. He also champions government spending transparency and defending constitutional protections.
He previously took aim at North Carolina’s Republican super-majority state legislature, previously saying that it “is entirely appropriate, and constitutionally required, for the attorney general to step in on behalf of the voters.”
