CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina’s primary election is March 5. One of the most watched races in the state is for the open attorney general’s seat.

We sat down with Rep. Jeff Jackson, a Democrat running for his party's nomination, to learn more about what his priorities would be if elected to be North Carolina's next attorney general.

.What You Need To Know

  • The North Carolina Attorney General is tasked with representing state and government agencies, and protect the consumers from fraud and scams

  • Jeff Jackson, Satana Deberry and Tim Dunn are all on the Democratic ballot for Attorney General

  • If elected, Jackson said his top concerns are targeting scammers, tackling the fentanyl crisis, and pushing for more police reform

  • Primary elections in North Carolina are on March 5

You may recognize Jackson from his voice on social media, campaigning events, or out in the public.

One thing you may not know about the candidate running for Attorney General: “The first thing that comes to mind is, I had a motorcycle in college and I loved that thing, and it was stolen and I kept the key. And so I've got the key on my keychain."

"Every once in a while, I'm looking around, and whenever I see someone go by on a motorcycle, I wonder if it's mine and if i see it, I'm going to steal that thing right back," he said.

He told Spectrum News 1, persistence is a trait that began after enlisting in the military. 

“I remember driving to the recruiting station. It was in a strip mall next to a Subway, I went into the subway and I had a meatball sub and I thought about what I was about to do and I made sure that I wanted to do it," Jackson said.

"I walked into the recruiting station, I remember the recruiter was sitting in the back and he slammed his fist on the desk and stood up, and said, ‘Young man we’ve been waiting for you son!' and I thought, 'Oh this is going to be great.'"

His love for serving continues today. He's now a Major in the National Guard. When he's not at drill, he's being a voice for others in Congress and in the community. 

“I saw 911 happened and I enlisted. I became a prosecutor to stand up for victims when I was in the legislature and I saw them going after certain groups of people, I stood up to them. The attorney general is the perfect job, if you are that kind of person. The whole idea is to be an independent voice, to make sure that people aren't getting kicked around," Jackson said.

We asked Jackson about his top concerns if he were to be elected as North Carolina Attorney General. He says at the top of the list, targeting scammers, and pushing for more police reform.

But, he said, there's one topic that stands out the most: "It's got to be fentanyl. I mean, we're losing people every single day. We have certain counties being really hit hard, I think the next attorney general has a couple of priorities within that. Now there is the supply side, making sure that the distribution cells across the state are being identified and disrupted and prosecuted, because what's happening is the stuff being manufactured in Mexico, it's being trafficked up here, and then there are certain distribution cells."

"We got to do a better job at getting up the ladder of those distribution cells, finding out who's really running things and disrupting that distribution network," said Jackson.

What worries him most, Jackson said, is potential disappointment from his constituents.

"The nervousness that I feel is knowing that people in our state have a very high set of expectations for this job in particular, and it's imperative. The most important thing i will do in my professional life to meet those expectations. I don't want to let people down. I want to do this job in a way that makes people proud, and I think I can," he said.