Mr. Jackson’s Neighborhood
Mr. Jackson’s Neighborhood
North Carolina Rep. Jeff Jackson wants to reach out to everyone, everywhere as their neighbor.
“It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine?” – Fred Rogers
What does it take to compete everywhere and meet voters authentically where they stand?
We often ask this question in our studies of the candidates who reach out and win over the middle. A consistent theme: meeting voters with empathy and pragmatism.
We’re especially interested in hearing from the big-tent leaders who go out of their way to reach out to those they disagree with and elevate swing voters. How do they win the middle?
For freshman Rep. Jeff Jackson, the answer is simple: go everywhere, meet everyone, and treat them as your neighbor. The newly-elected Representative from North Carolina’s 14th congressional district has only been in Washington for a few months, but he’s already made a name for himself as a friendly, empathetic, and internet-savvy addition to the House Democratic Caucus.
We recently spoke with Rep. Jackson about his 2022 campaign, how he meets voters (including independents and moderate Republicans) where they stand, and his newfound internet fame.
Not only is he a prolific voice everywhere online from Reddit to Substack to TikTok, but he shows up everywhere in-person, too:
You sort of have to be able to go anywhere and talk to anyone. The district is actually a great microcosm of the state — and to some extent the country — because it's got a lot of diversity and it’s got every type of voter that you could have.
According to Jackson, specificity is the key to getting past polarization:
If you can talk about the town that they're in — in a way that makes it clear that you know what you're talking about, that you've spoken to people who know what they're talking about, and that you're informed about really specific things that they care about — all of a sudden they don't see you through their typical lens of left or right.
At the end of the day, it’s all about being neighborly:
To me, that's like the top of the pyramid for the most persuasive possible candidate — the one who you sort of regard similarly to your friendly, helpful, knowledgeable nextdoor neighbor. So just thinking in terms of being that person is really important.
These were just a few highlights from our conversation with Rep. Jackson. The full interview has been edited for clarity and posted below.
The Welcome Party: Tell us a bit about your Congressional run in 2022 – what should we know about your race and how it was unique?
Jeff Jackson: One of the cool features of this district is that it's one red county and one blue county. So you have to have a political approach and message that can incorporate both.
And there is not only a blue-red divide, but there are also urban, suburban, and rural parts all within the district. So you sort of have to be able to go anywhere and talk to anyone. The district is actually a great microcosm of the state — and to some extent the country — because it's got a lot of diversity and it’s got every type of voter that you could have.
I found that, when talking to voters, specificity will sometimes get you past divisiveness. Specificity will get you past their initial reluctance to even engage with you. If you can talk about the town that they're in — in a way that makes it clear that you know what you're talking about, that you've spoken to people who know what they're talking about, and that you're informed about really specific things that they care about — all of a sudden they don't see you through their typical lens of left or right. Instead, they see you as more of an individual, and hopefully an individual who knows their stuff and is there to help do good work.
So in the county next door, Gaston County, which is the Western County in the district, I ended up talking a lot about water and sewer and a bridge that they need. It was just a lot of infrastructure-based conversation — and when you talk like that, you get a lot of heads nodding.
And over here on the Charlotte side of the district, I talk a lot about transit and housing. Still an infrastructure conversation, but more surface-level and less sub-surface level. But there, too, I try to be as specific as I can be. So yeah, I would recommend that to anyone.
How did engaging independent voters and moderate Republicans — the people who may not be interested in your pitch initially until you get into the specifics — contribute to your victory in November last year?
If you are at all willing to be a swing voter — if you are at all willing to consider voting for someone outside of the party you would normally vote for — the person you are most likely to do that for is your next door neighbor who you know well and like. So, like, be that person to the extent that you can, right?
To me, that's like the top of the pyramid for the most persuasive possible candidate — the one who you sort of regard similarly to your friendly, helpful, knowledgeable next door neighbor. So just thinking in terms of being that person is really important.
And there are lots of ways to do that. You can speak specifically to local issues, but it’s also just in your demeanor when you disagree with people. It's really important not to be judgmental of them. I mean, we all have red lines and the eyes of history are upon us, but I think when people hear you being critical — even if it's something they agree with — what's registering with them on a subconscious level is “it’s only a matter of time until he's critical of me, until he’s being judgmental of me.” I think candidates who speak overwhelmingly in terms of criticism or in terms of being judgmental just end up giving the impression that pretty soon they're gonna turn their guns right on you. And nobody likes that. So, you know, just be as positive as you can.
There are important contrasts that need to be made between you and your opponent, but reserve those for the rare exception to how you are communicating with people, which really should be overwhelmingly positive
A core part of the thesis of The Welcome Party and WelcomePAC is that the national brand has been tainted by a lot of things that have happened over the past few years, such as “Defund the Police” and other things. Did you ever have to find yourself specifically differentiating from the national brand when reaching out to people? How did it come up?
Nope, I didn't have to. I would have if it had really been necessary — if we had really been in the throes of “Defund the Police” and stuff like that. But you know what I found is that by being specific, by being very practical, what you end up hearing from people is “well, you don't sound like other Democrats.”
And anytime someone says that, the person saying it is a Republican who wasn't planning on voting for you but is at least now open to the possibility. So it's not something that I actively tried to do, but I did notice when I was able to accomplish it kind of by accident.
So you're saying like your authenticity basically allowed you to become someone who voters didn’t necessarily think you could be?
Yeah. Your approach is gonna earn you an open mind from someone.
You’ve been reaching out and engaging with people on TikTok and Reddit, which we’ve been enjoying. But what can you tell us about the disconnect between politics that people see on their screens and then politics in real life that allows people to really relate to you better?
I think what allows them to relate to me better is that, when I tell them something, one, it's coming from me directly. I don't have any comms team, I don't have any social media team. I write all my own emails. After a while I think people get that — they understand that they're hearing directly from me.
And, two, I don't post anything that I wouldn't want to read or watch myself. So I've got a reasonably high bar for the content that I post. And after a while you sort of train people to think when they see a post from you, “oh, this is valuable, I will appreciate this.” And that’s because I didn't post the last three things that popped into my head that would not have been as valuable.
So I believe that quality over quantity is absolutely essential when it comes to social media.