RALEIGH — Rumors have been bubbling up for months that freshman U.S. Democratic Rep. Jeff Jackson (NC-14) will abandon a congressional reelection bid in order to run for North Carolina Attorney General.
One source recently floated the idea that Jackson has said he’ll only run for attorney general if Jackson’s district is “gerrymandered in the upcoming redistricting cycle.” The source of that idea may be a video posted to X by Jackson in late July in which he claimed that the redistricting process would be used as an “opportunity to take me out.”
The freshman congressman, who has a prolific presence on social media apps like TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram, has passed no bills thus far in his term.
Jackson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the rumor.
The only Republican in the race at the moment is U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-08). All other Republicans who had initially expressed interest in running for the seat have stepped aside since Bishop entered the race.
Bishop already has some powerful backers such as the Republican Attorney Generals Association and the Club for Growth.
“I don’t know anything about his plans,” Bishop told North State Journal about the rumor. “I welcome all competitors for a vigorous debate on stories like the fact that two-thirds of North Carolinians are concerned about crime in their neighborhoods.”
The two-thirds statistic referenced by Bishop comes from poll results published by the conservative think-tank Civitas. Over 66% were concerned with crime with almost 34% of that total being “very concerned.” Drug-related crime, as well as violent and property crime, topped the list of most pressing crime issues.
With regard to increasing concerns over violent crime, Bishop said “That’s what this campaign is about,” as well as “the fact that Democrats have abandoned responsibility and created the circumstances, in significant part, that are victimizing people.
National Republican Congressional Committee Spokeswoman Delanie Bomar criticized the possible move.
“Jeff Jackson has had one foot out the door since he was elected,” Bomar said in a press release. “He is more interested in looking for his next gig than putting in the work for North Carolina families.”
