Jackson declares victory against Bishop to become NC's next attorney general
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- State Sen. Jeff Jackson declared victory late Tuesday evening in the race for attorney general.
Democrats have held the attorney general's office since 1975.
Jackson defeated Republican US Rep. Dan Bishop in the general election.
WATCH | Jackson delivers remarks to supporters.
"It was close, but we won," Jackson told the crowd at his watch party.
Jackson, who represents the 14th congressional district is also a major in the Army National Guard and served in Afghanistan.
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"To every person in this state, whether you voted for me or not, it will be an incredible honor to serve as your next attorney general, and I will give this job everything I've got," Jackson said.
The Chapel Hill native is a former prosecutor who says he wants to be a "non-partisan, independent voice for the people of North Carolina."
Some of Jackson's priorities include tackling the fentanyl epidemic, protecting residents against scammers and protecting seniors and veterans from fraud.
"What I suspected to be true at the beginning of the campaign proved to be true during the campaign," Jackson said. "Which is that what most people are looking for in elected officials is a simple set of values -- honesty, decency, integrity, being a basically reasonable person who actually cares about other people. I firmly believe that's the way forward."
Bishop, 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 in the past decade. Jackson said Bishop was too extreme for the post.
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.
The Associated Press contributed.
