The 2024 primary election season is well underway. For those that want to vote early, early voting runs through March 2 and voters in North Carolina can do same-day registration at a precinct of their choosing. If you’re voting on Election Day, March 5, then you’ll have to go to your assigned precinct. You can find that info here.
The attorney general is a constitutional officer responsible for representing state agencies in legal matters, supplying other state officials and prosecutors with legal advice and leading the North Carolina Department of Justice.
The incumbent, Josh Stein, is running for governor this year. Check out our guide on the gubernatorial candidates here.
As a reminder, attorney generals in NC are voted to 4-year terms and have no term limit.
This year, only Democrats have a primary election for this race. Republican Dan Bishop, will face the winner of the primary in November.
Read on to learn more about every candidate running for each race. For the full primary election guide, go here.
Democratic primary
Satana Deberry
Satana Deberry currently serves as the elected District Attorney for Durham County, a position she has held since 2018. According to her campaign website, Deberry has implemented policies to reduce unnecessary pretrial incarceration and court involvement and “has worked to dismantle systems that restrict the lives of poor people, families, communities of color, and other marginalized and underrepresented groups.” She formerly served as a criminal defense attorney in her hometown of Hamlet, NC, general counsel for the North Carolina Dept.of Health and Human Services and executive director of the nonprofit North Carolina Housing Coalition.
Her focuses include prosecuting violent crimes, forfeiture of guns used in crimes or in homes experiencing domestic violence, providing trauma-informed services to victims, certifying visas for immigrant victims of crime and expanding the use of restorative justice.
Deberry graduated from Princeton University and Duke University law school.
Deberry has raised more than $44,000 and had $30,000 ending cash on hand as of January.
Tim Dunn
Fayetteville-native Tim Dunn is a former marine, having served in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq, to name a few deployments. In 1994, he left active duty and began practicing law as a civilian attorney. He concentrated in civil, criminal and military litigation in state, federal and military courts and now represents juveniles facing criminal charges as well as representing veterans and law enforcement officers in “restoring their Second Amendment rights,” according to his website.
Dunn has raised more than $11,000 and had a deficit of $20 cash on hand by January.
Jeff Jackson
As a current Congressman, Rep. Jeff Jackson of North Carolina’s 14th Congressional district is likely the most well-known candidate in the attorney general race.
Jackson first took congressional office in 2023 but served as the representative for the NC Senate District 37, which covers Iredelle and Mecklenburg counties, from 2014-22. When he joined the state Senate in 2014, he became the second-youngest senator at the time.
In 2022, Jackson ran an unsuccessful bid for US Senate to replace Republican incumbent Richard Burr. While he raised $500,000 within 48 hours of his campaign announcement, Jackson ultimately suspended his campaign and endorsed Cheri Beasley who lost to Republican Ted Budd in the general election.
During his time as state senator and US Congressman, Jackson has pushed for expanding pre-K education programs, increasing teacher pay and expanding Medicaid, while fighting against gerrymandering and the anti-trans “bathroom bill,” HB2. He’s also known for being active on social media, namely Tiktok, where he posts explanatory videos about what’s going on in Congress.
Jackson also served in the army and was deployed to Afghanistan.
According to campaign finance records, Jackson has raised more than $2 million and had $1.8 million cash on hand as of December 2023
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