Jeff Jackson

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Jeff Jackson
Image of Jeff Jackson
U.S. House North Carolina District 14
Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2025

Years in position

1

Prior offices
North Carolina State Senate District 37
Successor: Vickie Sawyer
Predecessor: Dan Clodfelter

Recent elections

Office

Attorney General of North Carolina

Date Elected

November 5, 2024

Compensation

Base salary

$174,000

Education

Bachelor's

Emory University, 2004

Graduate

Emory University

Law

North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Law, 2009

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army National Guard

Service / branch

U.S. Army National Guard

Personal
Profession
Attorney
Contact

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Jeff Jackson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing North Carolina's 14th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2025.

Jackson (Democratic Party) ran for election for Attorney General of North Carolina. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Jackson also ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent North Carolina's 14th Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024.

Jackson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jeff Jackson has served in the U.S. Army National Guard. Jackson earned bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy from Emory University and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His career experience includes working as an assistant district attorney with the Gaston County District Attorney's Office and as business litigation counsel with Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP.[1][2][3]

Elections

2024

Attorney General of North Carolina

See also: North Carolina Attorney General election, 2024

General election

General election for Attorney General of North Carolina

Jeff Jackson defeated Dan Bishop in the general election for Attorney General of North Carolina on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jeff Jackson
Jeff Jackson (D) Candidate Connection
 
51.4
 
2,830,071
Image of Dan Bishop
Dan Bishop (R)
 
48.6
 
2,673,112

Total votes: 5,503,183
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of North Carolina

Jeff Jackson defeated Satana Deberry and Tim Dunn in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of North Carolina on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jeff Jackson
Jeff Jackson Candidate Connection
 
54.8
 
370,666
Image of Satana Deberry
Satana Deberry
 
33.1
 
223,835
Image of Tim Dunn
Tim Dunn Candidate Connection
 
12.1
 
81,492

Total votes: 675,993
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Dan Bishop advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of North Carolina.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

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Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Jackson in this election.

U.S. House North Carolina District 14

See also: North Carolina's 14th Congressional District election, 2024

Jeff Jackson did not file to run for re-election.

2022

U.S. House

See also: North Carolina's 14th Congressional District election, 2022

North Carolina's 14th Congressional District election, 2022 (May 17 Democratic primary)

North Carolina's 14th Congressional District election, 2022 (May 17 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 14

Jeff Jackson defeated Pat Harrigan in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 14 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jeff Jackson
Jeff Jackson (D)
 
57.7
 
148,738
Image of Pat Harrigan
Pat Harrigan (R) Candidate Connection
 
42.3
 
109,014

Total votes: 257,752
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 14

Jeff Jackson defeated Ramin Mammadov in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 14 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jeff Jackson
Jeff Jackson
 
86.1
 
34,724
Image of Ramin Mammadov
Ramin Mammadov Candidate Connection
 
13.9
 
5,598

Total votes: 40,322
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 14

Pat Harrigan defeated Jonathan Simpson in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 14 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Pat Harrigan
Pat Harrigan Candidate Connection
 
75.6
 
27,638
Image of Jonathan Simpson
Jonathan Simpson Candidate Connection
 
24.4
 
8,909

Total votes: 36,547
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate North Carolina

Ted Budd defeated Cheri Beasley, Shannon Bray, Matthew Hoh, and Michelle Lewis in the general election for U.S. Senate North Carolina on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Ted Budd
Ted Budd (R)
 
50.5
 
1,905,786
Image of Cheri Beasley
Cheri Beasley (D)
 
47.3
 
1,784,049
Image of Shannon Bray
Shannon Bray (L) Candidate Connection
 
1.4
 
51,640
Image of Matthew Hoh
Matthew Hoh (G) Candidate Connection
 
0.8
 
29,934
Image of Michelle Lewis
Michelle Lewis (Independent) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
137
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
2,378

Total votes: 3,773,924
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cheri Beasley
Cheri Beasley
 
81.1
 
501,766
Image of James Carr Jr.
James Carr Jr. Candidate Connection
 
3.5
 
21,903
Image of Alyssia Hammond
Alyssia Hammond
 
3.4
 
21,005
Image of Marcus Williams
Marcus Williams
 
2.8
 
17,446
Image of Constance Johnson
Constance Johnson Candidate Connection
 
2.0
 
12,500
Image of Everette Newton
Everette Newton
 
1.6
 
10,043
Image of Chrelle Booker
Chrelle Booker
 
1.6
 
9,937
Image of Brendan K. Maginnis
Brendan K. Maginnis Candidate Connection
 
1.1
 
7,044
Image of Robert Colon
Robert Colon
 
1.1
 
6,904
Image of Greg Antoine
Greg Antoine
 
0.8
 
5,179
Image of Tobias LaGrone
Tobias LaGrone
 
0.8
 
5,048

Total votes: 618,775
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Ted Budd
Ted Budd
 
58.6
 
448,128
Image of Pat McCrory
Pat McCrory
 
24.6
 
188,135
Image of Mark Walker
Mark Walker
 
9.2
 
70,486
Image of Marjorie K. Eastman
Marjorie K. Eastman Candidate Connection
 
2.9
 
22,535
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
David Flaherty
 
1.0
 
7,265
Image of Kenneth Harper Jr.
Kenneth Harper Jr.
 
0.9
 
7,129
Image of Jennifer Banwart
Jennifer Banwart
 
0.4
 
3,088
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Charles Moss
 
0.4
 
2,920
Image of Leonard L. Bryant
Leonard L. Bryant Candidate Connection
 
0.4
 
2,906
Image of Benjamin Griffiths
Benjamin Griffiths Candidate Connection
 
0.4
 
2,870
Image of Debora Tshiovo
Debora Tshiovo
 
0.4
 
2,741
Image of Lee Brian
Lee Brian
 
0.3
 
2,232
Image of Lichia Sibhatu
Lichia Sibhatu Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
2,191
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Drew Bulecza
 
0.3
 
2,022

Total votes: 764,648
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Shannon Bray advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina.

2020

See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for North Carolina State Senate District 37

Incumbent Jeff Jackson defeated Sonja Nichols and Jeff Scott in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 37 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jeff Jackson
Jeff Jackson (D)
 
55.0
 
64,562
Image of Sonja Nichols
Sonja Nichols (R) Candidate Connection
 
41.3
 
48,507
Image of Jeff Scott
Jeff Scott (L)
 
3.7
 
4,336

Total votes: 117,405
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jeff Jackson advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 37.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Sonja Nichols advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 37.

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Jeff Scott advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina State Senate District 37.

Campaign finance

2018

See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for North Carolina State Senate District 37

Incumbent Jeff Jackson defeated Nora Trotman and Stuart Andrew Collins in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 37 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jeff Jackson
Jeff Jackson (D)
 
78.1
 
52,261
Image of Nora Trotman
Nora Trotman (R)
 
20.0
 
13,395
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Stuart Andrew Collins (Constitution Party)
 
1.9
 
1,301

Total votes: 66,957
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 37

Incumbent Jeff Jackson advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 37 on May 8, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Jeff Jackson
Jeff Jackson

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 37

Nora Trotman advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 37 on May 8, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Nora Trotman
Nora Trotman

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the North Carolina State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016.[4] The candidate filing deadline was December 21, 2015.[5]

Incumbent Jeff Jackson defeated Bob Diamond in the North Carolina State Senate District 37 general election.[6][7]

North Carolina State Senate, District 37 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Jeff Jackson Incumbent 67.94% 57,804
     Republican Bob Diamond 32.06% 27,279
Total Votes 85,083
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections


Incumbent Jeff Jackson ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 37 Democratic primary.[8][9]

North Carolina State Senate, District 37 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Jeff Jackson Incumbent (unopposed)


Bob Diamond ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 37 Republican primary.[10][11]

North Carolina State Senate, District 37 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Bob Diamond  (unopposed)

2014

See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the North Carolina State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 28, 2014. Incumbent Jeff Jackson was chosen to replace Dan Clodfelter in the Democratic primary, after Clodfelter resigned from the Senate to become Mayor of Charlotte. Jackson was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Jackson was unchallenged in the general election.[12][13][14][15]

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Jeff Jackson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jackson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I was raised in North Carolina. After September 11th, I enlisted and served in Afghanistan. I came home and went to law school at UNC Chapel Hill on the G.I. Bill, then I became an assistant district attorney in Gaston County.

As a prosecutor, I saw how the failure to invest in public education, mental health, and addiction treatment was leading to a lot of criminal behavior. As a state senator and a congressman, I worked on those issues - and I stood up for voters when I thought our state legislature was undermining their rights.

My entire life has been about standing up for people who need it, and that’s who I’d be as Attorney General.

  • The core job of the Attorney General is to stand up for the people. You do that by going after the people who are trying to cause harm - whether that’s a company that’s polluting the water, scammers who are targeting seniors, predatory lenders stealing from students or veterans, organized crime pushing fentanyl into our communities, or politicians trying to undermine people’s rights.
  • The fentanyl epidemic is killing people in our state each day. As Attorney General, I would lead a response that addressed both the supply of fentanyl by cracking down on the distribution cells run by organized crime within our state, and the demand for fentanyl by supporting the most effective forms of addiction treatment and working with our state legislature to fund that treatment in a serious way. I would also support the passage of an anti-money laundering law, which would significantly aid in tackling fentanyl as well as human trafficking.
  • I served in the state legislature for four terms. I was able to get things done by finding reasonable legislative partners and spending months hashing out compromises that let us build a coalition. It was painstaking work, but that’s the only way to have a bill become a law. As Attorney General, I would look for opportunities to be a serious legislative partner on matters of criminal justice, mental health, addiction treatment, and - critically - early childhood education, which is essential to give all of our kids a decent shot at fulfilling their potential.

My party made an enormous mistake by not ending gerrymandering and enacting independent redistricting when it had the chance. Now the other party is in power, and they’re making the same mistake by refusing to allow an independent redistricting process. No matter which party is in power, when politicians use partisan redistricting to favor themselves, the voters lose. We have needed independent redistricting for a long time, and I fully support it.

Most people simply want fair elections, and we won't have those unless politicians are prohibited from drawing their own districts.

There's a lot of legal language tied to the job of Attorney General, but to me, the job is really about one thing: making sure that people aren't getting kicked around.

Whether it's corporations breaking the rules, politicians behaving in obviously corrupt ways, or organized crime, the essence of the job is being your shield against those who mean you harm. That's how I've approached my previous jobs in public service, and that's the energy I would bring to this job.

I've served in the military for 21 years. I'm a Major now in the Army National Guard where I drill once a month.

Part of being the military is getting to observe many leadership styles. Folks are always rotating through leadership positions, so you get to learn from lots of different styles.

As a result, the people I've looked up to the most aren't famous - they're platoon sergeants and company commanders. I've picked up lots of little pieces from them and sometimes when I speak I can hear one of them speaking through me. My best mentor has been the aggregate of all those examples.

Of course, you also get plenty of examples of how not to lead. No shortage of cautionary tales and techniques to avoid.

Before politics comes principle. Without adhering to the basic principles of honesty and decency, there can be no political debate – and no political progress. As a Soldier, a former prosecutor, a husband, and a father, commitment to those principles has been non-negotiable in my life.

We may disagree on certain policies, but my primary mission is to represent the people of North Carolina with honesty and decency – and, hopefully, we can all agree on that.

Honesty and decency should be the non-negotiable principles for anyone seeking to represent others.

Beyond that, I value competence and energy.

My basic critique of politics these days is that lots of people are treating honesty and decency as optional - and, in some cases, a liability.

That means that insisting on those two principles means that we're willing to accept even less competence and energy, simply because we're in a moment where we have to fight for honesty and decency.

Ideally, we can get to a place where honesty and decency are considered prerequisites and we can battle over which candidates have the most competency and energy. To me, that's what political progress would looks like.

I remember my parents coming to my elementary school to vote in the Bush/Clinton/Perot presidential election. I was nine years old. I remember asking my mom that night who she had voted for, and she turned to me and said, "It's a private vote, Jeffrey." She took that really seriously!

My junior year of high school, I hung flyers on doorknobs for a local pizza place. I was paid in pizza.

My daughter watches a lot of Frozen, so I'd say, "Let it go."

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.



2022

U.S. House

Jeff Jackson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Jackson's campaign website stated the following:

COVID-19 Recovery

At the beginning of the pandemic, Jeff turned his attention toward ensuring North Carolinians had the resources and information they needed to weather this crisis. Jeff helped constituents and non-constituents navigate the unemployment system and sent regular updates on community spread, vaccine distribution, and other important information.

Jeff has called for a robust COVID-19 relief package from the federal government that includes funding for state and local governments, money for local school districts so our kids can get back to in-person class safely, aid to people who need it, and help for small businesses.

He has also supported legislation at the state level that would increase unemployment benefits, allow work-sharing agreements with small businesses to support those businesses and keep people in the workforce, get aid to people struggling with housing due to COVID-19, and fund more school nurses so our kids can safely return to school.


Combating Poverty

In North Carolina, over 1.4 million people live in poverty, including one out of every five children. Children of color are much more likely to face this — making up 45% of all children in our state but 65% of North Carolina’s kids in poverty. And there are hundreds of thousands more children living in low-income homes just above the poverty line.

There’s no single policy that can solve this. But we have the tools to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and children across the state. Housing, wages and opportunity, education, health care, and criminal justice all play enormous roles in economic mobility and lifting families and children out of poverty. Policy has to be designed to address the underlying racial inequalities.

Jeff has worked to reduce poverty and help build the middle class through increasing the minimum wage, expanding Medicaid, increasing state support for affordable housing, and increasing funding for public schools, universities, and HBCUs. Our state needs criminal justice reforms including expanding expunctions and removing the bans on SNAP benefits for those previously convicted of controlled substance charges.

Expanding early childhood education and funding NC Pre-K and Smart Start to ensure every child has access to a high-quality preschool would also have an enormous impact on reducing poverty. Jeff has made this a top priority and will continue to do so.


Health Care

North Carolina is home to over 1 million people who are uninsured. 11 rural hospitals have closed since 2005 and we have another 19 hospitals that could be on the brink of insolvency. Premiums continue to rise. We need immediate action to help increase access and reduce the costs of health care.

Jeff has been working for more accessible, and affordable health care for all North Carolinians since becoming a state senator in 2014. He has sponsored, and supported multiple bills to expand Medicaid which is the single largest policy change that North Carolina can make to increase the quality of care and decrease the cost of health care across the state.

Expanding Medicaid would help 500,000 North Carolinians access health care, create 40,000 jobs, and save 1,000 lives every year. It would also reduce premiums on the marketplace for everyone.


Education

Almost half of our kids can’t read at grade level. North Carolina has fewer teachers now than ten years ago. Our kids and our educators aren’t getting the support they need.

Jeff has fought to get more funding for our schools. He’s a strong advocate for investing in early childhood education, raising teacher pay, and supporting our community colleges, HBCUs, and the rest of the university system.

In the state Senate, he’s sponsored legislation to increase early childhood education funding and eliminate the Pre-K waitlist, restore Master’s pay for teachers, invest in HBCUs, and expand rural broadband for our students and teachers.


Climate Action

As a frequent target of hurricanes with over 320 miles of coastline, North Carolina is on the frontlines of climate change. Tropical cyclones make landfall in North Carolina more than every other state in the country except Florida. But right now, we still consume almost four times more energy than we produce and only about 12% of the electricity generated in the state is from renewable energy.

We have to take advantage of our potential for renewable energies to accelerate our transition away from fossil fuels and create thousands of jobs in the process. Right now, we’re importing natural gas and coal from other states instead of building on the renewable potential we have here at home.

We have the solar infrastructure, the rivers for hydroelectric, the capacity for offshore wind development, as well as untapped potential for wind in the western part of the state – all ready to drastically scale up our renewable energy production.

But we have to act now and make real investments. In the legislature, Jeff has been a consistent advocate for renewable energy and immediate climate action.


Racial Justice

Racial justice is a part of every policy priority. From health care to education to housing to criminal justice – each has to take specific action to address the systemic issues that continue to lead to disparate outcomes for Black communities and other communities of color. Jeff has been and will continue to be a strong advocate who takes an active role in working for racial and social justice.

Jeff marched with Black Lives Matter protesters in Charlotte following the murder of George Floyd. In June 2020, when CMPD teargassed protestors in uptown Charlotte, Senator Jackson began an inquiry into what happened, what went wrong, and what needed to change. He laid out his methodical approach to get the truth, who he was contacting, and what he believed needed to be fixed and addressed.

In the state Senate, Jeff has worked to address underlying disparities through major reforms including expanding Medicaid, increased state support for affordable housing, increasing funding for public schools, universities, and HBCUs, and support for criminal justice reforms including expanding expunctions and removing the bans on SNAP benefits for those previously convicted of controlled substance charges.

Jeff has fought against voter suppression efforts such as gerrymandering and voter restrictions that are designed to reduce Black political power. He has also sponsored legislation to establish the Black Women & Girls Task Force, a group that would study the health and wealth disparities of Black women, review educational disparities and other key factors, legislation to allow municipalities to remove confederate monuments, and the NC Crown Act to prohibit discrimination against people based on hairstyle or hair texture.

Jeff also has a strong record of fighting for full recognition, inclusion, and respect for North Carolina’s Native American and Indigenous communities. In particular, Jeff supported fixing state recognition for the Lumbee Tribe and creating the Lumbee Tribe Trust. That support will continue in Congress – starting with the fight for full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe.


Women’s Rights

The Violence Against Women Act has expired, the right to choose is being attacked, and domestic violence has increased. The government should be standing up for its citizens, not playing politics with our health.

Jeff has repeatedly sponsored the Equal Rights Amendment, as well as legislation to remove excessive, partisan barriers to safe abortions. One of Jeff’s first experiences at the North Carolina legislature was when several non-partisan bills he had sponsored, which would’ve closed gaps in sex offense statutes, were added to an anti-abortion bill. Jeff stood against those attacks and voted against the bill and his own legislation. Jeff has and will continue to stand up against the politicization of women’s health and abortion access that we’re seeing across the country.

In 2015, Jeff filed the first bill to close the consent loophole in North Carolina. At the time, North Carolina was the only state in the country where the law said a woman could not revoke consent once it was given. Jeff proposed legislation to close the loophole three sessions in a row, but each time the GOP refused to pass it.

Finally, after national outrage and a fantastic lobbying effort, particularly by the North Carolina Coalition against Sexual Assault, SB199 was passed and signed into law in 2019, closing the consent loophole for good.


LGBTQ+ Rights

The LGBTQ+ community has been the target of hateful and discriminatory attacks under the Trump administration, from the transgender military ban to the rolling back of non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people looking for help from Health and Welfare programs. We have to enact nondiscrimination protections in law now to protect against any such attacks in the future.

Jeff has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality. He vocally opposed HB2, the discriminatory legislation that drew national attention to North Carolina and cost our state billions of dollars. Jeff filed several bills to fully repeal HB2 and repeatedly pushed the majority party in the General Assembly to repeal the bill.


Gun Safety Reform

We’ve seen unacceptable, unconscionable acts of violence over and over again. And over and over again, our leaders fail to act. Not because of policy ignorance, but because of political fear. If we want to enact change, we have to change our leaders.

There is a voice in the gun debate that says, “You don’t know anything about weapons. You’re just afraid of what you don’t understand. Don’t regulate out of ignorance.” But a lot of folks do understand weapons — like Jeff, who was trained to use several types of weapons through his service in the Army National Guard. There is a growing number of informed and experienced gun users who are joining the gun safety reform push and agree that doing nothing in the face of this violence is unacceptable.

Jeff has proposed legislation to implement universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders and to prohibit the sale of bump stocks and similar devices. He has also proposed legislation to provide funding for public safety improvements and additional support personnel at North Carolina public schools.


Criminal Justice Reform

Our criminal justice system is not upholding its mandate to distribute justice and protect the public fairly and equally. There are deep racial disparities that impact Black and Hispanic communities. We incarcerate people for nonviolent drug offenses while relying on jails to be one of the biggest mental health providers in the country. We need comprehensive criminal justice reform and real investment in re-entry and treatment programs.

In the state Senate, Jeff proposed and supported criminal justice reforms including decreasing unnecessary arrests and engagements with the police, reducing the use of mandatory minimums, and helping the tens of thousands of North Carolinians who lost their driver’s licenses due to an unpaid traffic ticket. He has also supported legislation that would modernize our expungement system, making it easier for people to have their records expunged if they were found not guilty or their charges were dismissed.

And in 2016, Jeff was one of only two NC Senators to vote against a bill that would have made it harder for North Carolinians to access dash camera and body camera footage.


Fixing Our Democracy

We have a deeply corrupt system that allows politicians to pick their voters by gerrymandering districts and raking in corrupt PAC money, while never having to talk to their constituents face to face. They’re able to sow misinformation and then turn around and buy TV ads during election season. We have to demand better.

The first bill Jeff ever filed was to end gerrymandering by establishing an independent redistricting commission. Gerrymandering is designed to allow politicians to pick their voters, and in North Carolina, that means targeting Black voters and minimizing the impact of their votes. Senator Jackson has been outspoken about the need to reform our redistricting process so that politicians can’t draw their own districts or pick their voters. He has criticized both his party and the Republican party for their failure to address this moral issue while they were in power.

Jeff has repeatedly sponsored bills to pass good government reforms such as establishing an independent redistricting commission, extending the waiting period for former legislators to become lobbyists, and implementing online and automatic voter registration in North Carolina. Senator Jackson has also regularly called the majority party out on their blatant attempts at corruption and bad faith procedures in the NC General Assembly.[16]

—Jeff Jackson's campaign website (2022)[17]


U.S. Senate

Jeff Jackson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Jeff Jackson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Candidate Connection

Jeff Jackson participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on April 7, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Jeff Jackson's responses follow below.[18]

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1) Strengthen public education

2) Expand access to health care
3) Bolster broadbased economic growth[19][16]

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

Early childhood education is an incredible opportunity to help our children reach their full potential and relieve working families of a major financial strain.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[16]

Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Jeff Jackson answered the following:

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Former Governor Jim Hunt lead the way on many issues, but his focus was on public education and, specifically, early childhood education.[16]
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
I draw inspiration from books about Terry Sanford and how he fashioned North Carolina into a progressive southern state.[16]
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Make decisions based mainly on evidence, don't be afraid of reasonable compromise, and don't kick people around for no good reason.[16]
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I recognize that other people know more than I do about their lives and their professions, and I try hard to listen to them before I form my own opinion.[16]
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
You better like to learn and you better like people, because when it comes to how our state functions there's a lot to learn, and most of the time you need to learn about it from other people.[16]
What legacy would you like to leave?
Elected officials who spend time thinking about their legacy probably aren't spending enough time focusing on the job, which is to improve the lives of other people.[16]
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
I remember when I was 10 my Mom and I stood on the side of the road as candidate Bill Clinton's motorcade went by. She said, "That might be as close as you ever getting to meeting a president." And so far, she's been right![16]
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I delivered flyers for a local pizza company. Most of the job was dodging dogs and sprinklers.[16]
What happened on your most awkward date?
She left.[16]
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
I'm a Christmas guy. I love the season. I start listening to classical Christmas music on Pandora in early December.[16]
What is your favorite book? Why?
Cold Mountain. I read it in high school but didn't really appreciate it. I went back and re-read it again a few years ago and was enthralled. Great North Carolina novel.[16]
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Indiana Jones. Classic from my childhood.[16]
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
I've got a home gym I've assembled over the years in our garage. I enjoy spending mornings there.[16]
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
We've got a toddler, so I know all the songs from the Baby Bum Bum videos.[16]
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
I always try to fit to much into my life. Right now I've got three jobs and two kids. I generally try and do too much at once and I don't see that stopping.[16]
(For non-Nebraska candidates) What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?
Both the state house and senate serve two-year terms, so the main difference is size. 50 state senators is a small group, so the culture is different than the state house with 120 members.[16]
Do you believe that it's beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
Absolutely. Good judgment is important, but experience counts for a lot when you're making decisions on issues as varied as we see in the state legislature. It's helpful to be familiar with the relevant facts.[16]
What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?
Our state's greatest challenge is going to be making sure our citizens are prepared to compete in the new economy. In order to be successful in an economy that's increasingly digital, creative, and data-driven, we need to place a greater emphasis on public education, from early childhood to higher education.[16]
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
A good relationship involves mutual respect at a minimum, but ideally collaboration.[16]
Do you believe it's beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Strong personal relationships with other legislators are indispensable. Debate all you want on the senate floor, but you better be able to walk over at the end and have a conversation.[16]
What process do you favor for redistricting?
We absolutely must implement independent redistricting. The current method - which my party used for far too long - is openly corrupt and to the extreme detriment of the state.[16]
If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?
I get a lot of work done on the judiciary committee because of my experience as an assistant district attorney.[16]
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
I have enormous respect for my predecessor, Dan Clodfelter. He was a legislator of strong character and tremendous intellect. He accomplished a great deal for our state.[16]
Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you've heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
The personal stories you hear from parents about their struggle with the health care system in caring for their children are the ones that hit the hardest. The financial struggle that some families go through simply to stay healthy and not lose their homes should motivate every policymaker to work harder on that issue.[16]

Committee assignments

2023-2024

Jackson was assigned to the following committees:[Source]

color: #337ab7,
}

2021-2022

Jackson was assigned to the following committees:

color: #337ab7,
}

2019-2020

Jackson was assigned to the following committees:

color: #337ab7,
}

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

North Carolina committee assignments, 2017
Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources
Appropriations on Pensions, Compensation, and Benefits
Appropriations/Base Budget
Judiciary
State and Local Government

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Jackson served on the following committees:

Key votes

See also: Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023

The 118th United States Congress began on January 3, 2023, at which point Republicans held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-212), and Democrats held the majority in the U.S. Senate (51-49). Joe Biden (D) was the president and Kamala Harris (D) was the vice president. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.

Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023
Vote Bill and description Status
Yes check.svg Yea Yes check.svg Passed (310-118)
Red x.svg Nay Yes check.svg Passed (227-201)
Red x.svg Nay Yes check.svg Passed (217-215)
Yes check.svg Yea Yes check.svg Passed (328-86)
Red x.svg Nay Yes check.svg Passed (225-204)
Red x.svg Nay Yes check.svg Passed (219-200)
Red x.svg Nay Yes check.svg Passed (229-197)
Yes check.svg Yea Yes check.svg Passed (314-117)
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) (216-212)
Yes check.svg Yea Yes check.svg Passed (216-210)
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) (220-209)
Red x.svg Nay Yes check.svg Passed (221-212)
Yes check.svg Yea Yes check.svg Passed (311-114)


The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable candidate endorsements by Jeff Jackson
EndorseeElectionStageOutcome
Kamala D. Harris  source  (D, Working Families Party) President of the United States (2024) PrimaryLost General
David Trone  source  (D) U.S. Senate Maryland (2024) PrimaryLost Primary
Cheri Beasley  source  (D) U.S. Senate North Carolina (2022) PrimaryLost General

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Jeff Jackson campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Attorney General of North CarolinaWon general$2,946,508 $670,784
2024* U.S. House North Carolina District 14Withdrew primary$891,839 $971,905
2022U.S. House North Carolina District 14Won general$5,707,177 $5,627,112
2022U.S. Senate North CarolinaWithdrew primary$0 N/A**
2020North Carolina State Senate District 37Won general$1,042,822 N/A**
2018North Carolina State Senate District 37Won general$258,284 N/A**
2016North Carolina State Senate, District 37Won $137,436 N/A**
2014North Carolina State Senate, District 37Won $81,135 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in North Carolina

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of North Carolina scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].



2022

In 2022, the North Carolina State Legislature was in session from May 18 to July 1.

Legislators are scored based on their stance related to healthcare costs.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills relating to family issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes related to business.
Legislators are scored on their votes on environment and conservation issues.


2021


2020


2019


2018


2017


2016


2015


2014


2013


Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Jackson and his wife, Marisa, have one child.[1]

See also


External links

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Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Jeff Jackson for Congress, "Meet Jeff," accessed April 14, 2022
  2. The State, "Democrats elect Jeff Jackson to replace former state Sen. Clodfelter," accessed May 5, 2014
  3. LinkedIn, "Jeff Jackson," accessed November 23, 2022
  4. The primary for U.S. congressional elections was rescheduled to June 7, 2016, following legal challenges to North Carolina's district maps. State races were unaffected.
  5. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Filing," archived January 19, 2016
  6. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed August 23, 2016
  7. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election results lookup," accessd December 21, 2016
  8. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed January 4, 2016
  9. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Official primary results - Statewide," March 15, 2016
  10. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed January 4, 2016
  11. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Official primary results - Statewide," March 15, 2016
  12. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Primary Candidate List Grouped by Contest," accessed March 7, 2014
  13. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "General Election Candidate List Grouped by Contest," accessed August 12, 2014
  14. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "05/06/2014 Official Primary Election Results - Statewide," accessed December 5, 2014
  15. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "11/04/2014 Official General Election Results - Statewide," accessed December 5, 2014
  16. 16.00 16.01 16.02 16.03 16.04 16.05 16.06 16.07 16.08 16.09 16.10 16.11 16.12 16.13 16.14 16.15 16.16 16.17 16.18 16.19 16.20 16.21 16.22 16.23 16.24 16.25 16.26 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  17. Jeff Jackson for Congress, “Jeff's Record,” accessed April 11, 2022
  18. Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
  19. Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Jeff Jackson's responses," April 7, 2018
  20. Congress.gov, "H.R.2670 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024," accessed February 23, 2024
  21. Congress.gov, "H.R.185 - To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes." accessed February 23, 2024
  22. Congress.gov, "H.R.2811 - Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023," accessed February 23, 2024
  23. Congress.gov, "H.Con.Res.9 - Denouncing the horrors of socialism." accessed February 23, 2024
  24. Congress.gov, "H.R.1 - Lower Energy Costs Act," accessed February 23, 2024
  25. Congress.gov, "H.J.Res.30 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to 'Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights'." accessed February 23, 2024
  26. Congress.gov, "H.J.Res.7 - Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020." accessed February 23, 2024
  27. Congress.gov, "H.R.3746 - Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023," accessed February 23, 2024
  28. Congress.gov, "Roll Call 20," accessed February 23, 2024
  29. Congress.gov, "H.Res.757 - Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant.," accessed February 23, 2024
  30. Congress.gov, "Roll Call 527," accessed February 23, 2024
  31. Congress.gov, "H.Res.757 - Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant." accessed February 23, 2024
  32. Congress.gov, "H.Res.878 - Providing for the expulsion of Representative George Santos from the United States House of Representatives." accessed February 23, 2024

Political offices
Preceded by
-
Attorney General of North Carolina
2025
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
-
U.S. House North Carolina District 14
2023-Present
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
Dan Clodfelter
North Carolina State Senate District 37
2014-2023
Succeeded by
Vickie Sawyer (R)


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
Republican Party (9)
Democratic Party (7)