One of the most hotly contested elections developing in North Carolina is a race that doesn’t typically get a lot of attention.

What You Need To Know

  • The frontrunners in the 2024 race for North Carolina attorney general are Republican Rep. Bishop and Democratic Rep. Jackson

  • Bishop and Jackson are current members of Congress

  • They are running to replace outgoing Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein, who is running for governor

  • In the Democratic primary, Jackson faces attorney Tim Dunn of Fayetteville and Charles Ingram, an attorney from Duplin County

Two sitting members of Congress are preparing for what could be an expensive and fiery battle for state attorney general.

The frontrunners, Republican Rep. Dan Bishop and Democratic Rep. Jeff Jackson, are seeking to replace outgoing Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein, who is running for governor.

Bishop and Jackson are former members of the General Assembly, lawyers, currently serve in the House of Representatives and live in the same part of the state. But that’s where the similarities end.

Bishop has become a foe of Democrats, and even some Republicans in Congress.

He’s a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus and was a vocal critic of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. He also has a record of opposing aid to Ukraine and voted against a short-term spending bill to keep the government open.

“He is very, very good at firing up his base,” Western Carolina University politics professor Chris Cooper said. “The problem with Dan Bishop, of course, is this is a general election campaign he is going to be running in. And some of those suburban, unaffiliated voters that everyone wants to get may not want to go with a Dan Bishop.”

Jackson set his sights on the attorney general’s race after GOP state lawmakers redrew his congressional district to make it much more Republican.

He has developed a following online. His videos on TikTok, where he discusses his views on Congress, regularly receive millions of views.

In Congress, he regularly votes with Democrats.

“He really appeals to young voters … maybe he can expand the electorate,” Cooper said. “On the other hand, if there’s one thing we know about young voters, it’s that they don’t really turn out to vote.”

Each man’s ability to drum up support, and their often blunt way of speaking, sets up a barn burner of a race.

While a Republican hasn’t won the attorney general race in more than a century, it has all the makings of an election that could be close.

“I think it’s going to probably be the nastiest AG race that we’ve had in the state of North Carolina. I think it’s probably going to go down as the most expensive AG race we’ve had in the state of North Carolina. I don’t know if it will be the most competitive, but I think it will be among the most competitive,” Cooper said.

Bishop doesn’t face any Republican opponents in the race.

Jackson faces attorney and veteran Tim Dunn of Fayetteville as well as Charles Ingram, who is an attorney from Duplin County.

The primary is in March.