NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- Two familiar faces are running to serve as the North Carolina Attorney General. Both Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson and Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop are lawyers and prolific fundraisers. Each has argued that his rival is too radical to become the state's top law enforcement official on Nov. 5. Currently, the position is held by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein, who is running against outgoing Republican Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson for the state's highest seat. Democrats have dominated the AG seat—a Republican hasn't been elected as attorney general since 1896—even as the GOP has performed well for decades in other statewide races. In both 2016 and 2020, Stein won by fewer than 25,000 votes over his Republican opponent. So what does the state AG do? The attorney general is charged with representing the state in court and defending the work of locally elected district attorneys in appeals of criminal cases. AGs also make legislative recommendations to the General Assembly and in the past have sued specific industries for damages, including tobacco, drug and social media companies. DJ performs at North Carolina polls to encourage voter turnout The two candidates and their allied PACs are expected to have spent at least $31 million combined on television and online advertising during the general election campaign, according to data from AdImpact, which monitors campaign spending. The North Carolina race is among the most closely watched of the 10 attorney general elections taking place across the U.S. The position, joked to stand for "aspiring governor," has been a stepping stone for gubernatorial bids—outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper was attorney general for 16 years. Who are Jackson and Bishop? Jackson, 42, is an Afghan war veteran who enlisted post-9/11 and a National Guard attorney who was elected to Congress in 2022. His congressional district covers parts of Mecklenburg and Gaston counties. His term ends in January 2025. As for education, Jackson earned a bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy from Emory University, as well as a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has amassed a large following on social media for explaining politics. Jackson previously served as an assistant district attorney in Gaston County and as a North Carolina State Senator. “The job is fundamentally about being a shield for people against those who mean them harm,” Jackson said in a recent interview. “I’ve spent my entire career doing that as a soldier, as a prosecutor. That’s why I want to be attorney general.” Bishop, 60, a longtime commercial litigation attorney, former Mecklenburg County commissioner and state legislator, joined Congress in 2019. A North Carolina native, his congressional district covers multiple counties, including Rowan, Union, and part of Cabarrus. His term ends in January 2025. Bishop also went to Chapel Hill, graduating with a bachelor's in business administration and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Bishop, a strong Trump supporter, downplayed Jackson’s legal history as an assistant prosecutor and highlighted what he calculates as his own 400-plus appearances in state and federal courts. “What I have had is extensive and complex experience with the judicial system in North Carolina,” Bishop said in an interview. “He has not had anything like that career.” Delays lead North Carolina State Board of Elections to extend voting hours at 2 precincts Jackson said that if he's elected, he will work to counter the fentanyl overdose epidemic and combat scammers now using artificial intelligence techniques to fool consumers. Bishop accused Jackson of having an “extensive record of being soft on crime and antagonistic to police.” He said what North Carolina needs is the “restoration of law and order," and that he would work to reel in what he considers liberal-leaning district attorneys who aren’t doing so. Jackson and Bishop served together in the state legislature, where Bishop shepherded a 2016 law that banned cities from enacting new anti-discrimination ordinances and required transgender people to use public restrooms that correspond with the sex on their birth certificate. Jackson didn’t seek reelection to Congress this fall after the General Assembly redrew legislative maps and placed him in a heavily GOP district. Jackson and his allies have also pointed out Bishop’s endorsement of Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson for governor, especially after a CNN report alleging that Robinson made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website’s message board. Robinson has denied the allegations. Asked whether he remains comfortable endorsing Robinson, Bishop said he’s focused on winning the attorney general’s race and that “whatever issues involve the governor’s race are between Mark and the voters.” But Jackson said it’s “absurd” that Bishop “can’t bring himself to say a single critical word" about Robinson. Earlier this month, Bishop filed a defamation lawsuit against Jackson’s campaign and others, alleging that at least some of them are to blame for a political survey asking if a voter would be more or less likely to vote for Bishop if he “represented people who stole money from the elderly.” Bishop says he has never represented such people. Jackson’s campaign has suggested the lawsuit will be unsuccessful. The Associated Press contributed to this report.