2 US House members seek to become North Carolina's attorney general
The two men seeking to become North Carolina's next attorney general are both outgoing members of Congress who have represented the Charlotte area on Capitol Hill and previously in the state legislature
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's next attorney general will be one of two outgoing members of Congress who have represented the Charlotte area on Capitol Hill and previously at the state legislature.
Both Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson and Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop are lawyers and prolific fundraisers. Each has argued that his rival is too radical to become the state's top law enforcement official on Nov. 5.
The winner succeeds two-term Attorney General Josh Stein, the Democratic nominee for governor. Democrats have dominated the position — a Republican hasn't been elected as attorney general since 1896 — even as the GOP has performed well for decades in other statewide races. In both 2016 and 2020, Stein won by fewer than 25,000 votes over his Republican opponent.
This fall's campaign has focused largely on who is best able to represent the nation’s ninth-largest state in court and keep its communities safe. While State Bureau of Investigation figures show the North Carolina violent crime rate was higher in 2023 compared to a decade ago, it was essentially flat compared to 2022.