Democrat Jeff Jackson announces bid for NC attorney general | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is David Bass.

    First-term North Carolina Congressman Jeff Jackson has been redistricted out of his seat, but he isn't going quietly. Jackson took to TikTok on Thursday to announce his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for state attorney general.

    The news wasn't surprising to the NC political world - Jackson was long rumored to be mulling an entry into the race.

    In his TikTok video, Jackson says that "political corruption" led to the redrawing his congressional district. "I'm running for attorney general, and I'm going to use that job to go after political corruption," he says.

    The video then cuts to a series of shots of Jackson in a boxing match, taking a series of punches before getting the upper hand on his opponent.

    "There are people who mean you harm. The job is about standing between you and them, which means I'm gonna take some hits," Jackson adds. "But it also means fighting back."

    Republicans were quick to pounce on Twitter, pointing out that Jackson has never won a statewide contest.

    Newly redrawn congressional maps - passed by lawmakers this week - turn Jackson's blue district into a GOP-leaning one. In his 2022 race for US House, Jackson secured 58% of the vote to his Republican opponent's 42%.

    In 2021, Jackson ran for the Democratic nomination for US Senate but dropped out and endorsed former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley.

    On the Republican side, the only declared candidate for attorney general is Dan Bishop, who currently represents the state's 8th congressional district. In September, former state lawmaker Tom Murry dropped out of the primary and opted to run for the NC Court of Appeals instead. Several other Republicans are rumored to be considering jumping into the race, but none have declared.

    Tar Heel voters typically have put a Democrat in the attorney general's office. The last time voters picked a Republican for the office was 1896.