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The 2022 midterm elections are the first of the Biden era. They're also the first since the 2020 census, which means there are new congressional districts. There are U.S. Senate races in the Carolinas as well, along with many state and local races.

Mecklenburg State Sen. Jeff Jackson Is Running for U.S. Senate in 2022

State Sen. Jeff Jackson, D-Mecklenburg, makes a campaign video in 2020.
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State Sen. Jeff Jackson, D-Mecklenburg, makes a campaign video in 2020.

North Carolina state Sen. Jeff Jackson is running for U.S. Senate in 2022.

Jackson, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, made a formal announcement Tuesday.

Two years ago, Jackson met with then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer about running against Republican incumbent Thom Tillis in 2020 but decided against it. Jackson has three young children.

Cal Cunningham won the Democratic primary and then lost to Tillis by 95,000 votes.

Former Democratic state Sen. Erica Smith, who lost to Cunningham in the primary, is running again.

On the Republican side, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker has said he’s running. Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Laura Trump, a Wilmington native, is reportedly considering entering the race.

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, has said he won't seek reelection in 2022.

Jackson, an attorney, is also a captain in the JAG Corps with the Army National Guard. He was elected to the state Senate in 2014, taking Dan Clodfelter’s seat after Clodfelter became Charlotte mayor.

Jackson has been in safe Democratic seats, although after a court-ordered redistricting last year, his south Charlotte Senate seat became more competitive. He won reelection against Republican Sonja Nichols with 55% of the vote.

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Steve Harrison is WFAE's politics and government reporter. Prior to joining WFAE, Steve worked at the Charlotte Observer, where he started on the business desk, then covered politics extensively as the Observer’s lead city government reporter. Steve also spent 10 years with the Miami Herald. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, the Sporting News and Sports Illustrated.