North Carolina Attorney General Election 2024: Meet the candidates in the race

One of the challenges of a swing state is that presidential campaigns in North Carolina tend to draw a lot of attention, to the detriment of other important statewide elections that don’t get as much attention. We’ll break this down in an ongoing series statewide races hereon the WUNC Politics Podcastand in the WUNC Politics Newsletter.

Josh Stein is running for governor, so the Tar Heel State’s top lawyer’s office is open.

The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office served as the starting point for the Governor’s Office. Gov. Roy Cooper has held the office for 16 years, and the current incumbent — Stein, a Democrat — is the leading candidate to become the next governor. That’s one reason this year’s race for attorney general is attracting high-profile candidates and millions of dollars in campaign spending.

Two congressmen are seeking to be Stein’s successor: Republican Dan Bishop and Democrat Jeff Jackson.

Bishop has endorsed Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson and was a staunch defender and supporter of former President Donald Trump, who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Jackson criticized Bishop for being Robinson’s “biggest cheerleader.”

Bishop has criticized Jackson for his vote on a bill that will ban TikTok in the U.S. unless the Chinese government sells its shares in the platform, accusing Jackson of violating the First Amendment right to free speech. Jackson said he was concerned that the social media platform should not be owned by “one of our key geopolitical rivals.”

What is the Attorney General of North Carolina doing?

North Carolina’s attorney general holds an important and influential position in the state as the top lawyer.

Both candidates are concerned about the epidemic of fentanyl and other opioids. Jackson says he wants to use a new anti-money laundering law to identify and prosecute drug distribution cells and increase access to medication-assisted opioid treatment. Bishop said the fentanyl problem needs to be solved through better border security and immigration enforcement.

The candidates point out that as attorneys general they would be responsible for defending the state in lawsuits against actions by the legislature. But they say they would not defend actions they believe are unconstitutional.

Who is Dan Bishop?

Bishop, 60, has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019, where he is a member of the Freedom Caucus and was a vocal opponent of former GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

He also served in the state Senate and House of Representatives, where in 2016 he was the lead sponsor of House Bill 2, the “bathroom bill” that restricted transgender access to public restrooms. According to the Associated Press, HB2 cost North Carolina an additional $3.76 billion in lost business. In 2017, the NCAA and Atlantic Coast Conference moved all of their championships and tournaments out of state, resulting in major losses in tourism dollars.

Who is Jeff Jackson?

Jackson, 42, was elected to Congress in 2022 and previously served four terms in the state Senate. He has a large TikTok following for entertainment videos explaining the action on Capitol Hill, and he also serves in the National Guard. It’s worth noting that Jackson is one of North Carolina’s extremely online active politicians, with more than 860,000 combined followers on X and Instagram and 2.2 million on TikTok.

Before running for Congress in 2022, Jackson first ran to fill the Senate seat held by the retiring Richard Burr. He dropped out before the primary and supported Cheri Beasley, who ultimately lost to Ted Budd.

What do Bishop and Jackson say about the election?

If elected, Jackson already appears to be targeting North Carolina’s Republican-majority legislature.

“When the General Assembly tries to sway things in its favor (through election laws), it is entirely appropriate and constitutionally required for the attorney general to intervene on behalf of the voters,” Jackson said.

This attitude from Jackson has given Bishop reason to criticize him.

“What Jeff has vowed to do to political audiences across North Carolina is to defy the Legislature on policy issues that he disagrees with the elected Legislature,” Bishop said. “Well, the elected legislature and the law, that’s the way the law is made.”

For more on Dan Bishop, Jeff Jackson and the 2024 race for North Carolina Attorney General, click here: Read & Subscribe the WUNC politics newsletter and listen to full conversations with them the WUNC politics podcast.