Jackson enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 2002 while he was junior at Emory. Mobilized to active duty as a corporal (E-4), he forward deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, assigned to a psychological operations unit.[7] He worked as a business litigator at Womble Bond Dickinson in Charlotte.[10] Commissioned as an officer after he graduated from college and entered law school, Jackson continues to serve in the North Carolina Army National Guard as a major in the Judge Advocate General's Corps.[11][12][13]
Before joining the North Carolina Senate, Jackson worked as a prosecutor in Gaston County, North Carolina. He resigned upon joining the Senate, as the state constitution prohibits serving as an elected official and a prosecutor simultaneously.[14]
North Carolina Senate
Jackson's state senatorial portrait
When Senator Dan Clodfelter resigned to become mayor of Charlotte in 2014, his State Senate seat had to be filled by local Democratic precinct members. Jackson and three other candidates sought the office. Of 49 votes, Jackson received 25, winning by one vote. Jackson was also chosen to replace Clodfelter as the Democratic nominee in the November 2014 general election. Because no one else filed to run against Clodfelter, Jackson ran unopposed for a full two-year term.[15] He was reelected to a second full term in 2016 with 68% of the vote against Bob Diamond.[16]
Jackson gained national attention when he was the only legislator to show up for work on a snow day in February 2015.[17]
Under previous North Carolina law, women could not legally revoke their consent to engage in sexual intercourse once that act has consensually begun, meaning that, according to Jackson, North Carolina was "the only state in the country where no doesn't really mean no".[20] After several years of introducing a bill to close the consent loophole, it passed unanimously in 2019.[21][22]
Jackson faced his first competitive race in 2020.[23] His district had been significantly redrawn and was now a D+2 district, in which a Democratic candidate would be expected to win by two points.[23] Jackson was called up for National Guard duty during the final weeks of his campaign, so his wife, Marisa, became the face of the campaign for the closing weeks.[24] Jackson won the election with 55% of the vote.[25]
Various news outlets mentioned Jackson as a potential candidate against Republican incumbent Richard Burr in North Carolina's 2016 U.S. Senate election. Jackson declined to run and Burr was reelected.[26][27] He was also mentioned as a potential challenger to North Carolina's other U.S. senator, Thom Tillis, in 2020.
On January 26, 2021, Jackson announced he would run to replace Burr, who was retiring, in North Carolina's 2022 United States Senate election.[28] He announced that he would run a "100-county campaign", visiting all of North Carolina's 100 counties.[29] His campaign raised over $500,000 within 48 hours of his announcement.[30] Jackson raised more than $900,000 in the third quarter of 2021, and in total more than $3 million from the time he announced his candidacy in January 2021.[31] On December 16, 2021, Jackson announced that he would suspend his campaign and endorsed Cheri Beasley.[32]
Following redistricting, Jackson announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in the state's new 14th congressional district on February 25, 2022. The district includes most of the southern half of Mecklenburg County, as well as eastern Gaston County.[33] Jackson won the general election, defeating Republican nominee Pat Harrigan by a vote of 148,738 (58%) to 109,014 (42%).[34]
Tenure
During both the electoral process and his tenure as a congressman, Jackson has used his TikTok and other social media accounts to keep the public updated about policy issues and the functioning of the United States Congress. His first video to garner national attention was an account of the January 2023 speaker of the United States House of Representatives election. He created a video detailing the national response to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, assuring his viewers that depositors at the bank would be reimbursed without relying on taxpayer funds. He has also spoken against outrage journalism, drawing from his experiences with politicians who employ "fake anger" and how the news media employs it to attract audiences.[35][36][37]
In March 2024, Jackson voted in favor of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, coming as a shock to many TikTok users as he regularly used the app.[38][39] Shortly thereafter, he posted a video on the platform explaining his rationale for supporting the bill,[40] emphasizing his belief that TikTok was not going to be banned and suggesting instead that it would likely be sold and continue operating. His objection with the platform, as he explained, had to do with China's national security laws.[41][42] As a result, Jackson faced significant criticism from TikTok creators and users who felt betrayed and viewed his vote as hypocritical,[42][43][44] losing around 200,000 followers on the platform.[41][43] Jackson later deleted his video discussing the bill and released an apology video to his followers, which was met with unacceptance.[43][44]
The Republican-controlled state legislature approved new district maps that placed Jackson's home in Charlotte in a new, heavily Republican 14th district stretching from south Charlotte to the Foothills. In response, Jackson announced he would run for state attorney general.[54] The seat became open when incumbent Josh Stein announced that he would run for governor in 2024.[55] He won the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024. He faced Republican Dan Bishop in the November election; Jackson won the election by vote of 2,873,945 (51%) to 2,715,059 (49%).[56]
Personal life
Jackson is married to Marisa Jackson and lives in Charlotte. He has two sons and a daughter, including his stepson from Marisa's previous relationship.[57] In 2020, Jackson was named one of Charlotte Magazine's Charlotteans of the Year.[58]
▌2 Unknown (2 territories) An asterisk (*) indicates that the officeholder is serving in an acting capacity. State abbreviations link to position articles.
