Western Carolina University politics professor Chris Cooper said, “I think it’s going to probably be the nastiest AG race that we’ve had in the state of North Carolina. I think it’s probably going to go down as the most expensive AG race we’ve had in the state of North Carolina. I don’t know if it will be the most competitive, but I think it will be among the most competitive.”
Jackson and Bishop are both members of the U.S. House. Cooper said, “This is a rare case where the candidates themselves will elevate the profile of the race.”
Jackson represents North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District. Before his time in Congress, Jackson served in the North Carolina Senate and was a prosecutor in Gaston County. He also served in Afghanistan with Army Special Operations and is a major in the Army National Guard.
North Carolina’s attorney general is the state’s chief legal advisor and heads the North Carolina Department of Justice. The office represents all state government departments, agencies, and commissions and provides legal opinions to the governor, General Assembly, and other state officials. The attorney general does not have the authority to prosecute specific crimes unless the local district attorney requests it. The office also does not have authority over local district attorneys, local law enforcement, or courts.
Both candidates attended a forum the North Carolina Bar Association hosted in June 2024. At the event, the candidates talked about how they would use the office and criticized each other.
Bishop called himself the law and order candidate and said he would work with local district attorneys and law enforcement at every level of the criminal justice system. He said, “The responsibility of the attorney general at all points is to enforce the law. That means working closely with district attorneys and with frontline law enforcement all over the state to see to it that they are backed up, that they are advocated for, that their work is coordinated and supported before the legislature.”
Bishop also said, “What Jeff has vowed to do before political audiences across North Carolina is to oppose the legislature on policy issues with which he disagrees.”
At the event, Jackson said he wanted to be attorney general to stand up for people: “As attorney general, I want to focus on fentanyl. We’re losing people every single day. I want to focus on scammers. I think they’re about to become much more sophisticated. I bring a background as a prosecutor, as a legislator, as a husband, as a father of three. I think all of that would serve me very well.” Jackson also said he expects to handle cases that he personally disagrees with: “One of the core functions of the attorney general is to represent in court all of the state agencies. I fully expect that that will involve representing a state agency and making a decision that I don’t personally agree with.”
In 2020, Stein defeated Jim O’Neill (R) 51.1% to 49.9%, and in 2016, he defeated Buck Newton (R) 50.2% to 49.8%. The last time a Republican won an attorney general election in North Carolina was 1896.
Heading into the 2024 election, North Carolina has a Democratic triplex, with Democrats controlling the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. All three offices are up for election in 2024. Ten states are holding attorney general elections in 2024 and all 50 states have an attorney general who serves as the state’s chief legal officer. Heading into the 2024 elections, there are 22 Democratic, 27 Republican, and one independent attorney general. To read more about attorney general elections happening in 2024, click here.
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