Election 2024: Jackson, Bishop only U.S. House members in state level duel

(The Center Square) – With just 28 days until the election, Democrat Jeff Jackson and Republican Dan Bishop are both confident in their Election Day chances becoming North Carolina’s next attorney general.

Each a former state senator, the candidates are the only members of the U.S. House of Representatives members battling in a state level race. Each of their congressional seats are forecast to be won by Republicans as North Carolina’s representation shifts from 7-7 to a minimum of 10-4 Republican and possibly 11-3.

If Bishop wins, he would be the first Republican candidate to win the attorney general seat in North Carolina since Zeb V. Walser won the 1896 election.

“I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to break the Democrats’ 128-year stranglehold on this office and restore a culture of law and order to this state,” Bishop told The Center Square. “For a long time, ladder-climbing Democrats have used the attorney general as a stepping-stone to governor. The result has been selective enforcement of the state’s laws depending on the attorney general’s political calculations.”

Bishop said he commits to not seeking higher office.

Jackson said his campaign will continue to work hard in these last few weeks before the election.

“We are in a strong position, but there is more work to do,” he told The Center Square. “We will continue showing folks across the state my vision for the office. I’m running to keep families safe, tackle the fentanyl epidemic, and go after scammers that target seniors.”

Priorities for Bishop include bringing crime down, enforcing law and order, and addressing illegal immigration.

“For years, those issues have been put on the back burner while ambitious politicians use the attorney general role as a stepping-stone to higher office,” Bishop said. “It’s embarrassing to Democratic politicians when people know about the rise in violent crime, and when people know how our nation’s immigration laws are going unenforced in some cities. I’ll focus my attention and resources on deterring crime, restoring a culture of law and order, and truly combating illegal immigration to the fullest extent of my legal authority.”

Jackson said he also believes the election is about safety.

“I’ve dedicated my life to standing up for people, as a soldier in Afghanistan, and a criminal prosecutor in Gaston County,” Jackson said. “I’m the only candidate who has worked with law enforcement to take violent criminals off the streets. It’s clear that my opponent doesn’t have the experience necessary to serve in this role and protect North Carolinians.”

Bishop, counselor of three decades, has appeared 403 times in trial courts, the state Court of Appeals, and state Supreme Court. Jackson’s background includes three years as an assistant district attorney in Gaston County, and as a major in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the North Carolina Army National Guard.

Jackson was first elected to the U.S. House in 2022, winning District 14 by a little over 15% against his Republican opponent. Bishop won a special election in 2019 following the Bladen County-centered ballot harvesting saga, then twice won reelection.

It is important for voters to compare the different views between the candidates, Bishop said.

“I support voter ID, while Jeff Jackson opposes voter ID,” Bishop said. “I support harsh consequences for violent criminals, while Jeff Jackson has voted to lower penalties for violent criminals. I oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants, while Jeff Jackson supports amnesty.”

Jackson said bipartisanship is an important value for him.

“This is about electing someone who will put the people of North Carolina first, not their partisan culture wars,” Jackson said. “In Congress, I rank in the top 5% for bipartisanship. My opponent ranks in the bottom 5% and has already cost our state billions of dollars and thousands of jobs through his extremism.”

Jackson’s campaign greatly out-fundraised the Bishop campaign, with Jackson raising more than triple what Bishop raised in the second fundraising quarter of the year.

Jackson ended the period on June 30 with $5.7 million in the bank to Bishop’s $2.7 million, according to campaign finance documents.

Jackson has stood by President Joe Biden’s policies and has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, applauding her as “the former prosecutor we need to make the case to our country about the stark choice we face in this election.”

Bishop said he will take a stand against “woke” policing.

“We must put an end to woke crime policies like open borders and defunding the police,” he said. “As the state’s top law enforcement officer, I will not tolerate woke crime policies and I will work hand in hand with local law enforcement to restore law and order and keep our cities and towns safe.”