Jeff Jackson | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 14th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Member of the North Carolina Senate from the 37th district | |
| In office May 6, 2014 – January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Clodfelter |
| Succeeded by | Rachel Hunt (Redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jeffrey Neale Jackson September 12, 1982 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Marisa Jackson |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | |
| Website | House website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 2002–present |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | North Carolina Army National Guard United States Army Reserve |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan |
Jeffrey Neale Jackson (born September 12, 1982) is an American politician, attorney, and military officer serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 14th congressional district since 2023. He represented the 37th district in the North Carolina Senate from 2014 to 2022.
After graduating from law school, Jackson worked as an assistant district attorney in Gaston County; he is of counsel at Womble Bond Dickinson. In 2002, Jackson enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and served in the Kandahar Province during the War in Afghanistan. He now serves in the Judge Advocate General's Corps with the Army National Guard.[1]
On February 25, 2022, Jackson announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina's new 14th congressional district.[2] He won the general election.[3]
Jackson was born in Miami on September 12, 1982.[4][5][6] His father, Nathan Jackson, is a doctor, and his mother is a nurse.[7][8] Raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Jackson earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in philosophy from Emory University. He also earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law.[9]
Jackson signed up for the United States Army Reserve in 2002. He works as a business litigator at Womble Bond Dickinson in Charlotte.[10] Jackson also continues to serve in the North Carolina Army National Guard as a major in the Judge Advocate General's Corps.[11][12]
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.[13]
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.[14] He was reelected to a second full term in 2016 with 68% of the vote against Bob Diamond.[15]
Jackson gained national attention when he was the only legislator to show up for work on a snow day in February 2015.[16]
He supports significantly expanding pre-K education programs.[17] In 2017, Jackson introduced a bill to repeal the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, also known as HB2.[18]
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".[19] After several years of introducing a bill to close the consent loophole, it passed unanimously in 2019.[20][21]
Jackson faced his first competitive race in 2020.[22] 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.[22] 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.[23] Jackson won the election with 55% of the vote.[24]
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Main article: 2022 United States Senate election in North Carolina |
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.[25][26] 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.[27] He announced that he would run a "100-county campaign", visiting all of North Carolina's 100 counties.[28] His campaign raised over $500,000 within 48 hours of his announcement.[29] 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.[30]
On December 16, 2021, Jackson announced that he would suspend his campaign and endorsed Cheri Beasley.[31]
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Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina § District 14 |
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.[2]
Jackson won the general election, defeating Republican nominee Pat Harrigan with nearly 58% of the vote.[3] When he took office in 2023, he was the first white Democrat to represent a significant portion of Charlotte in 70 years. Most of the Mecklenburg County portion of the 14th had long been part of the 9th district, whose various permutations had been in Republican hands since 1953.
After taking office, Jackson garnered attention with his TikTok account which he used to explain major issues and how Congress works.[32][33][34]
Jackson is married to Marisa Jackson, a marketing director. They have three children.[36] In 2020, Jackson was named one of Charlotte Magazine's Charlotteans of the Year.[37]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jeff Jackson | 148,738 | 57.7 | |
| Republican | Pat Harrigan | 109,014 | 42.3 | |
