North Carolina will elect a new attorney general in 2024. The man currently holding that office, Josh Stein, is seeking a higher office and is running for the Democratic nomination for governor.
Unlike the upcoming races for governor and lieutenant governor, the field for the next AG isn’t as packed. There are just four confirmed candidates with the primary election less than five months away.
Currently, the candidate in the race with arguably the most experience as an elected official is a Republican, but North Carolinians have not elected a member of the GOP to the attorney general’s office since 1897. Republican James H. Carson served as the attorney general in 1974 and 1975, but he was appointed to the seat by Governor James E. Holshouser, Jr.
But Republicans have narrowed the margins. Stein won reelection in 2020 over GOP challenger Jim O’Neill by less than 14,000 votes – which amounted to a margin of 0.2%.
Can a Republican pull off a historic victory for the seat in 2024?
Here is a complete list of who is running for Attorney General of North Carolina ahead of the 2024 primary election, set for March 5.
Democrats
Tim Dunn
- A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps., Dunn was born and raised in Fayetteville, where he also practiced law. For his military service, he was awarded the Bronze Star, was a Marine prosecutor, and was also a legal advisor to the Iraqi Special Tribunal against Saddam Hussein. Dunn retired from the Marines as a colonel after 33 years of service. He holds degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill and Campbell University School of Law.
Charles Ingram
- Like Dunn, Ingram is a veteran, having served in the U.S. Naval Reserve for 30 years with time serving in the Office of Judge Advocate General – better known by its acronym, JAG. He has 42 years of experience practicing law, most of which has been done in his native Duplin County.
Jeff Jackson
- The congressman was long expected to join the race, but didn't officially enter it until Oct. 26, after Republicans in the North Carolina legislature redrew his district. The Charlotte Democrat was a member of the North Carolina Senate for more than eight years and then went to Congress after winning the 2022 election to represent the state's 14th District. When announcing his candidacy, Jackson wrote in a tweet: "I've officially been drawn out of my congressional district by a small group of politicians. It’s blatant corruption, but I’ve got news for them: I’m running for Attorney General, and I’m going to use that job to fight political corruption." Jackson was previously an assistant district attorney in Gaston County and is a Major in the Army JAG Corps.
Satana Deberry
- Deberry has been Durham County's district attorney since 2018. She announced she was entering this race on Nov. 10. Should she win, she would be the first Black woman elected Attorney General in North Carolina. She's from Richmond County and holds degrees from Princeton and Duke universities.
Republicans
Dan Bishop
- A member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Bishop has served North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District in congress since 2019. He is forgoing the opportunity to be elected for a third term and is instead seeking the seat of state attorney general. Before being elected to Congress, Bishop served in the state House and state Senate. During his time in the state legislature, he was the sponsor of the controversial HB2, also commonly known as “The Bathroom Bill.” Big names in the Republican party – such as Reps. Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz have endorsed Bishop in this race. Former state Rep. Tom Murry was briefly in the race, but has dropped out and instead intends to run for the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
WUNC Capital Bureau Chief Colin Campbell contributed to this story.
