We interviewed Jeff Jackson (NC-14) last year about his personable social media presence because he’s really good at breaking down complex issues and telling everyone across North Carolina what’s going on. On Reddit, where he uses the handle JeffJacksonNC, he routinely answers questions and posts videos about what’s happening in the news. (He’s also on the newsletter platform Substack, where he writes a first-person, weekly account of serving in Congress as a freshman member from North Carolina..)
Jackson’s Congressional seat was gerrymandered by Republicans last fall. “A group of politicians in North Carolina just redrew my congressional district to take me out,” he said in a video. “I’m running for attorney general, and I’m going to use that job to go after political corruption.”
We interviewed Jackson about what he hopes to accomplish as Attorney General and what he would say to young voters across the state.
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What does the NC Attorney General do?
There are a lot of technical terms to describe the role of Attorney General, but it boils down to this: The position of Attorney General is to be a shield to protect North Carolinians against those that mean them harm. It’s not left versus right, it’s just about doing what’s right. As Attorney General, you can use your position to directly hold people and corporations accountable for breaking the law and violating our citizen’s rights.
What do you hope to accomplish if elected?
The fentanyl epidemic must be a top priority. It’s 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 – by supporting the most effective forms of addiction treatment and working with our state legislature to fund that treatment in a serious way.
For someone who may only be paying attention to the top of ballot races, what would you say to them about the Attorney General office?
It’s a position that can do a lot of good to defend the people of this state. Whether it’s defending reproductive or voting rights, taking on corporations who pollute our water with PFAS, protecting North Carolina families from consumer fraud, increasing online safety for children, or fighting the opioid epidemic, there are a lot of ways to use this position as a shield for those who are in harm’s way.
The Attorney General is the person who represents the state in lawsuits about wetlands or pollution. Why is it important to have a Democrat in this position?
The drinking water for at least 350,000 people along the Cape Fear River is polluted with industrial chemicals that a nearby plant discharged into the river for years. Attorney General Stein has made great progress to hold DuPont and Chemours accountable, ensuring they can’t use shell companies to protect themselves. I’ll continue the work to hold these companies accountable. The people of our state deserve accountability for decades of exposure to harmful chemicals.
We read a piece from Border Belt recently that profiled a bunch of high school students in Robeson County who weren’t planning to vote because they didn’t see the point. What would you say to them?
For young voters, the whole time they’ve been aware of politics it’s been defined by outrage and culture wars. As we bring a new generation of voters and voices into the conversation, we need to give them a reason to be enthusiastic about voting and a sense of why their participation could make an incredible difference on issues like affordable housing, climate, and reproductive rights – but really just seeing a government that reflects their basic sensibilities and interests.
If you could design a pair of Crocs for yourself, what would they look like?
I’d have them be space themed. In Congress, I’m on the Space subcommittee and it’s been a real joy. I have this theory that every time we see a bunch of NASA folks cheering, it means that something undeniably good has happened in the world. I struggle to think of another group for which the mere act of them cheering means that, practically by definition, something good has occurred. So space Crocs it is.