By Canadian Press

Democratic US Rep. Jeff Jackson is elected as North Carolina’s attorney general

Nov 5, 2024 | 10:47 PM

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson was elected North Carolina’s next attorney general on Tuesday, defeating Republican congressman Dan Bishop in an expensive campaign focused on who was best able to represent the state in court and keep communities safe.

Jackson, an Afghan war veteran and National Guard attorney who has gained a large following on social media, will succeed two-term Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein, who ran for governor on Tuesday.

Jackson said his experience as a prosecutor — he worked as an assistant district attorney in Gaston County — and his commitment to perform his duties in a nonpartisan matter made him most qualified to become the state’s top law enforcement official. Jackson said he would work to counter the fentanyl overdose epidemic and combat scammers now using artificial intelligence techniques to fool consumers.

Bishop, a Republican who joined Congress in 2019 and is a strong supporter of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, accused Jackson of being soft on crime and antagonistic to police at a time when violent crime rates have risen over the past decade. Jackson said Bishop was too extreme for the post.

Jackson and Bishop served together in the state legislature, where Bishop was known in part for shepherding a 2016 law that banned cities from enacting new anti-discrimination ordinances and required transgender people to use public restrooms that corresponded with the sex on their birth certificate.

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Jackson was elected to Congress in 2022 but didn’t seek reelection because redistricting by the General Assembly placed him in a heavily GOP district.

Despite party nominees performing well in statewide races for decades, a Republican hasn’t been elected to the post of attorney general in North Carolina since 1896. Interest groups supporting Bishop and Jackson spent well over $10 million on television and online advertising, according to data from AdImpact, which monitors campaign spending.

In addition to governor and attorney general, elections were held Tuesday for the eight other statewide executive branch positions — including lieutenant governor — that compose the Council of State.

With current Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson running for governor against Stein, Tuesday’s race to succeed Robinson was between Democratic state Sen. Rachel Hunt and Republican Hal Weatherman, a top aide to then-Lt. Gov. Dan Forest. Hunt is the daughter of former Gov. Jim Hunt, who also was lieutenant governor in the 1970s.

Also up for election Tuesday were state superintendent of public instruction, state treasurer and labor commissioner.

Current Superintendent Catherine Truitt lost her Republican primary to Michele Morrow, while GOP Treasurer Dale Folwell ran unsuccessfully for his party’s nominee for governor. Republican Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson decided not to seek reelection.

For superintendent, former Guilford County Schools Superintendent Mo Green, a Democrat, was running against Morrow, who attended the Jan. 6, 2021, rally in Washington before the attack on the U.S. Capitol and has called public schools liberal “indoctrination centers.”

The race to succeed Folwell was between Democrat Wesley Harris, a state legislator and economic consultant, and Republican Brad Briner, a former investment manager.

Republican Luke Farley, an attorney, and Democrat Braxton Winston, a former Charlotte city council member, were competing to succeed Dobson.

Four Council of State members were seeking reelection.

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, who was first elected to the job in 1996, was competing against Republican Chad Brown, chairman of the Gaston County commissioners.

State Auditor Jessica Holmes, a Democrat, was appointed to the position late last year by Gov. Roy Cooper after Auditor Beth Wood announced her resignation in the wake of charges against her related to her government-owned vehicle. Holmes was seeking a four-year term against Republican Dave Boliek, the former chairman of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s trustee board.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, a Republican, was seeking a third term against Democrat Natasha Marcus, a state senator. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, a Republican on the job since 2005, faced a challenge from Democrat Sarah Taber, a farmer and farm consultant.

Voters statewide also chose four appellate court judges, led by a seat on the state Supreme Court. Associate Justice Allison Riggs, a Democrat appointed to the court last year by Cooper, was running for an eight-year term against Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin, a Republican. Five of the seven current justices are registered Republicans.

Gary D. Robertson, The Associated Press