The Political Beat Candidate Guide: Attorney General

CHARLOTTE — General elections in North Carolina are set for Nov. 5, and many statewide offices have candidates in the running from the Democratic and Republican parties.

North Carolina’s Attorney General’s race pits two of the state’s most popular figures in their parties against each other. Congressman Dan Bishop is facing Congressman Jeff Jackson. Both are from the Charlotte area. Congressman Bishop is attempting to become the first Republican to win the AG’s race since Zeb Z. Walser in 1896.

Below are the unedited responses from the candidates.

Jeff Jackson

What is your occupation? I’m a member of Congress, representing North Carolina’s 14th District. I am also a Major in the North Carolina Army National Guard and previously served as a criminal prosecutor in Gaston County.

Why are you running? Being Attorney General is about being a shield for the public against those who mean them harm. I’ve spent my whole career standing up for people and that’s what I would do as Attorney General. I enlisted after September 11th, served in Afghanistan, came home and became a prosecutor in Gaston County, and then became a legislator at the state and federal levels. That’s a breadth of experience that fits the job of Attorney General very well. One of the best parts of the job is that it’s not about left versus right, it’s just about doing what’s right. Whether that means taking on the fentanyl epidemic, guarding North Carolina families from consumer fraud and the rising risk of A.I. use by scammers, or strengthening online safety for children, the core of the job is about keeping people safe - not partisan politics.

What is the most important issue and how do you plan to address it? The fentanyl epidemic is killing people in our state each day. As Attorney General, I would support a two-front approach that targets both supply and demand. That means aggressively pursuing the elements of organized crime that traffic fentanyl into our state by identifying and breaking apart the distribution cells that exist within our state as well as advocating for effective addiction treatment for users.

What business, entity or issue needs more investigation from the attorney general’s office? One emerging challenge is the rise of AI in scams, particularly ones that target seniors. Scammers are integrating AI into online and phone scams, targeting senior citizens with technology that can mimic a close relative’s voice. Ensuring that our law enforcement and state legislature is ahead of the curve on addressing this threat would be an early task of mine as the next Attorney General.

How will your personal beliefs impact the lawsuits you pursue and defend? One of the core responsibilities of the Attorney General is to represent the state. It would be my obligation to do so even in matters in which I personally disagreed. However, in exceptionally rare instances, should the matter involve a clear violation of the Constitution, my oath to the Constitution would prevent me from providing a defense.

What sets you apart from your opponent? I’ve dedicated my life to serving the public in a fundamentally nonpartisan way. As a veteran and former prosecutor, I would use my experience to protect the public from anyone who means them harm. My opponent is an extremist, who wants to abuse the position of Attorney General to fight partisan culture wars. In Dan Bishop’s own words, he wants to be Attorney General to be Mark Robinson’s “sidekick,” supports the same radical abortion bans without exceptions, and has never prosecuted a single case in his entire life. In addition to being an extreme partisan, he simply lacks the experience for the position.

Dan Bishop

What is your occupation? I have nearly 30 years of experience as a litigator, appearing over 400 times in federal and state trial and appellate courts, including the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court. I’m currently a Member of Congress serving on the House Judiciary Committee and House Homeland Security Committee.

Why are you running? I’m running to restore a culture of law and order in North Carolina. North Carolinians don’t feel as safe as they did a few years ago, and it’s not hard to understand why. Violent crimes like rape and murder are on the rise, record illegal immigration is putting every community at risk, and drug trafficking is taking countless innocent lives every day. We must put an end to woke crime policies like open borders and defunding the police. As the state’s top law enforcement officer, I will not tolerate woke crime policies and I will work hand in hand with local law enforcement to restore law and order and keep our cities and towns safe.

What is the most important issue and how do you plan to address it? The most important issue for the top law enforcement officer in the state is, of course, fighting crime. Violent crimes like rape and murder are on the rise. Over 75 sheriffs and district attorneys have endorsed me for Attorney General. Many of them tell me the current AG has had little to no communication with them over the past 8 years. That is unacceptable. The AG should work hand in hand with law enforcement and serve as a resource and advocate for our front-line police, sheriff deputies, state troopers and prosecutors.

What business, entity or issue needs more investigation from the attorney general’s office?Crime, law and order, and illegal immigration need far more attention than they’re getting right now from North Carolina’s attorney general. For years, those issues have been put on the back burner while ambitious politicians use the Attorney General role as a stepping-stone to higher office. It’s embarrassing to Democratic politicians when people know about the rise in violent crime, and when people know how our nation’s immigration laws are going unenforced in some cities. I’ll focus my attention and resources on deterring crime, restoring a culture of law and order, and truly combating illegal immigration to the fullest extent of my legal authority.

How will your personal beliefs impact the lawsuits you pursue and defend? When it comes to the AG’s responsibility to defend the law in court, my personal opinions are irrelevant. I’ll defend the law. And I will not resort to the dishonest tactic of cloaking policy disagreements with enacted legislation in pretextual, flimsy and far-fetched constitutional objections or resort to transparent legal trickery to nullify enacted law, as Stein and Cooper have done. I’ll defend North Carolina law – period – whether I agree with it or not. We have to put an end to this two-tiered system of justice, wherein the Attorney General decides which laws to uphold and which to ignore based on how that choice will impact a future run for governor. Unlike my ladder-climbing opponent, I commit to not seeking higher office.

What sets you apart from your opponent? Both my opponent and I have served in the same legislative bodies, so comparing our views is easy. I support voter ID, while Jeff Jackson opposes voter ID. I support harsh consequences for violent criminals, while Jeff Jackson has voted to lower penalties for violent criminals. I oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants, while Jeff Jackson supports amnesty.

(WATCH BELOW: NC elections workers carefully prepare mail-in ballots for early voting)