Jeff Jackson

Jeff Jackson has served in the U.S. Army National Guard. Jackson earned bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy from Emory University, both in 2004, and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2009. 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]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

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.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

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.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

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.

The attorney general often sets policy priorities for law enforcement. For example, a state's attorney general may decide to dedicate extra resources to combat human trafficking. Are there certain areas of law enforcement that you would emphasize?

Combating fentanyl, described above.

A state's attorney general has many responsibilities. Which of those do you personally consider the most important?

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.

Attorneys general can represent their states in legal conflicts with the federal government. Do you consider this an important part of an attorney general's responsibilities?

Yes.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a state's attorney general to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes.

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

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.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

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.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

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.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Honesty, decency, competence, and energy.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

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!

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

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

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

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

U.S. House

Jeff Jackson did not complete [the profile publisher]'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 [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Jeff Jackson did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

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]

[the profile publisher] 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]