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Jeffrey Neale Jackson (born September 12, 1982) is an American politician, attorney, military officer, and North Carolina attorney general-elect[1] serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 14th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the 37th district in the North Carolina Senate from 2014 to 2022.
Jeff Jackson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Attorney General-elect of North Carolina | |
| Assuming office January 1, 2025 | |
| Governor | Josh Stein (elect) |
| Succeeding | Josh Stein |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 14th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Member of the North Carolina Senate from the 37th district | |
| In office May 6, 2014 – January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Clodfelter |
| Succeeded by | Rachel Hunt (redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jeffrey Neale Jackson September 12, 1982 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Marisa Bell (m. 2013) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Emory University (BA, MA) University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (JD) |
| Website | House website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service | 2002–present |
| Rank | Major |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan |
After graduating from law school, Jackson worked as an assistant district attorney in Gaston County. He was counsel at Womble Bond Dickinson. In 2002, Jackson commissioned in the United States Army Reserve and served in the Kandahar Province during the War in Afghanistan. He now serves in the Judge Advocate General's Corps with the Army National Guard.[2] In October 2023, he announced his candidacy for North Carolina Attorney General after the North Carolina Legislature redrew the state's congressional districts.[3] He was elected as the attorney general of North Carolina in November 2024.
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Jackson was born in Miami, Florida, on September 12, 1982, and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[4][5][6] His father, Nathan Jackson, is a doctor, and his mother is a nurse.[7][8] Jackson earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in philosophy from Emory University. He also earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law.[9]
Jackson signed up for the United States Army Reserve in 2002.[7] He worked as a business litigator at Womble Bond Dickinson in Charlotte.[10] Jackson also continues to serve in the North Carolina Army National Guard as a major in the Judge Advocate General's Corps.[11][12][13]
Before joining the North Carolina Senate, Jackson worked as a prosecutor in Gaston County, North Carolina. He resigned upon joining the Senate, as the state constitution prohibits serving as an elected official and a prosecutor simultaneously.[14]
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When Senator Dan Clodfelter resigned to become mayor of Charlotte in 2014, his State Senate seat had to be filled by local Democratic precinct members. Jackson and three other candidates sought the office. Of 49 votes, Jackson received 25, winning by one vote. Jackson was also chosen to replace Clodfelter as the Democratic nominee in the November 2014 general election. Because no one else filed to run against Clodfelter, Jackson ran unopposed for a full two-year term.[15] He was reelected to a second full term in 2016 with 68% of the vote against Bob Diamond.[16]
Jackson gained national attention when he was the only legislator to show up for work on a snow day in February 2015.[17]
He supports significantly expanding pre-K education programs.[18] In 2017, Jackson introduced a bill to repeal the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, also known as HB2.[19]
Under previous North Carolina law, women could not legally revoke their consent to engage in sexual intercourse once that act has consensually begun, meaning that, according to Jackson, North Carolina was "the only state in the country where no doesn't really mean no".[20] After several years of introducing a bill to close the consent loophole, it passed unanimously in 2019.[21][22]
Jackson faced his first competitive race in 2020.[23] His district had been significantly redrawn and was now a D+2 district, in which a Democratic candidate would be expected to win by two points.[23] Jackson was called up for National Guard duty during the final weeks of his campaign, so his wife, Marisa, became the face of the campaign for the closing weeks.[24] Jackson won the election with 55% of the vote.[25]
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Various news outlets mentioned Jackson as a potential candidate against Republican incumbent Richard Burr in North Carolina's 2016 U.S. Senate election. Jackson declined to run and Burr was reelected.[26][27] He was also mentioned as a potential challenger to North Carolina's other U.S. senator, Thom Tillis, in 2020.
On January 26, 2021, Jackson announced he would run to replace Burr, who was retiring, in North Carolina's 2022 United States Senate election.[28] He announced that he would run a "100-county campaign", visiting all of North Carolina's 100 counties.[29] His campaign raised over $500,000 within 48 hours of his announcement.[30] Jackson raised more than $900,000 in the third quarter of 2021, and in total more than $3 million from the time he announced his candidacy in January 2021.[31] On December 16, 2021, Jackson announced that he would suspend his campaign and endorsed Cheri Beasley.[32]
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2022 election
Following redistricting, Jackson announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in the state's new 14th congressional district on February 25, 2022. The district includes most of the southern half of Mecklenburg County, as well as eastern Gaston County.[33] Jackson won the general election, defeating Republican nominee Pat Harrigan by a vote of 148,738 (58%) to 109,014 (42%).[34]
Tenure
During both the electoral process and his tenure as a Congressman, Jackson has used his TikTok and other social media accounts to keep the public updated about policy issues and the functioning of the United States Congress. His first video to garner national attention was an account of the January 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election. He created a video detailing the national response to the Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, assuring his viewers that depositors at the bank would be reimbursed without relying on taxpayer funds. He has also spoken against outrage journalism, drawing from his experiences with politicians who employ "fake anger" and how the news media employs it to attract audiences.[35][36][37]
In March 2024, Jackson voted in favor of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, coming as a shock to many TikTok users as he regularly used the app.[38][39] Shortly thereafter, he posted a video on the platform explaining his rationale for supporting the bill,[40] emphasizing his belief that TikTok was not going to be banned and suggesting instead that it would likely be sold and continue operating. His objection with the platform, as he explained, had to do with China's national security laws.[41][42] As a result, Jackson faced significant criticism from TikTok creators and users who felt betrayed and viewed his vote as hypocritical,[42][43][44] losing around 200,000 followers on the platform.[41][43] Jackson later deleted his video discussing the bill and released an apology video to his followers, which was met with unacceptance.[43][44]
Committee memberships
Jackson serves on the United States House Committee on Armed Services and the United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.[45][46] In the Armed Services committee, he serves on the subcommittees for Intelligence and Special Operations[47] and Tactical Air and Land Forces.[48] In the Science, Space, and Technology committee, he serves on the subcommittees for Space and Aeronautics[49] and Investigations and Oversight.[50]
Caucus memberships
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After state Republicans approved new district maps that would place Jackson in a majority-Republican district, Jackson announced he would run for state attorney general.[53] The seat became open when incumbent Josh Stein announced that he would run for governor in 2024.[54] He won the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024. He faced Republican Dan Bishop in the November election; Jackson won the election by vote of 2,873,945 (51%) to 2,715,059 (49%).[55]
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Jackson is married to Marisa Jackson and lives in Charlotte. He has two sons and a daughter, including his stepson from Marisa's previous relationship.[56] In 2020, Jackson was named one of Charlotte Magazine's Charlotteans of the Year.[57]
U.S. House
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jeff Jackson | 148,738 | 57.7 | |
| Republican | Pat Harrigan | 109,014 | 42.3 | |
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