NORTH CAROLINA, USA — Jeff Jackson has won the Democratic nomination for the 2024 North Carolina attorney general election, setting up a competitive race against U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, who was the only Republican to run for the office.
As of 10 p.m., Jackson is carrying 55% of the vote, followed by Satana Deberry in second place at 33% and Tim Dunn in third at 12%.
Whoever wins the election on Nov. 5 will succeed Democrat Josh Stein, who on Tuesday night secured the Democratic nomination for governor of the Tar Heel state.
Jackson, a Charlotte-area Congressman, put his name in the race the day after state lawmakers redrew his district to favor Republicans, which he called "political corruption."
"As attorney general, I would be maximally aggressive in defending your right to vote, which gerrymandering undermines," Jackson told 13News Now.
The former prosecutor, state senator, and war veteran told 13News Now that North Carolina must take a stronger stand on the fentanyl epidemic.
He also said the state must ensure law enforcement focuses on identifying and dismantling distribution cells smuggled into North Carolina. He also said the attorney general must work with the state legislature to make funding available for treatment.
Bishop, his opponent in November's general election, has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019, garnering a reputation for his participation in the Freedom Caucus, the Associated Press reports. He previously served in the state legislature, where he was notably a chief sponsor of the controversial 2016 “bathroom bill" requiring transgender people to use public bathrooms matching their birth certificates.
North Carolina voters have not elected a Republican attorney general in over 100 years. In that timeframe, only one member of the GOP had served in the role, and he was appointed by the then-governor in 1974.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.