E. W. Jackson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
E. W. Jackson
|
|
|---|---|
Jackson in 2023
|
|
| Born |
Earl Walker Jackson
January 13, 1952 Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|
| Education | University of Massachusetts Boston (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Political party | Democratic (Before 1980s) Republican (1980s–present) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1970–1973 |
| Rank | Corporal |
Earl Walker Jackson Sr. (born January 13, 1952) is an American politician, minister, and lawyer. He is known for his conservative views and has run for several important political offices in Virginia. He was the Republican Party's choice for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2013. Jackson also tried to become a United States Senator for Virginia in 2012 and 2018. In 2023, he announced he would run for President of the United States. He leads Exodus Faith Ministries, a church in Chesapeake, Virginia, and started a Christian political group called Staying True to America's National Destiny.
Contents
Early Life
Jackson was born on January 13, 1952, in Chester, Pennsylvania. His great-grandparents were slaves from Orange County, Virginia. His parents separated when he was young. He spent most of his childhood living in a foster home.
Military Service, Education, and Career
Jackson joined the United States Marine Corps in 1970. He served for three years and was honorably discharged as a corporal. A corporal is a non-commissioned officer rank in the military.
After his military service, he went to the University of Massachusetts Boston. He then studied law at Harvard University, where he earned his J.D. degree. A J.D. is a law degree that allows someone to practice law.
He worked as a lawyer in the Boston area for 15 years. Jackson also studied theology (the study of religious faith) at Harvard. He said he left his first church job in 1982 because he was a young, energetic preacher and the church was an older group. He stayed in Boston as a lawyer and preacher until the late 1990s.
While in Boston, he appeared on radio shows and hosted his own national talk show called Earl Jackson Across America. He also faced financial challenges when he tried to save a struggling radio station. This experience made him believe that the government sometimes interferes too much with businesses.
Later, he taught commercial law at Strayer University in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Ministry
In June 1998, Jackson became a bishop. Later that year, he and his family moved to Chesapeake, Virginia. They started holding weekly Bible studies. In 1999, Jackson and his wife founded Exodus Faith Ministries, which is a church that welcomes all Christian groups. The church had to move from its first location because of local rules. This event also made him concerned about "government overreach," meaning the government having too much control. The church now meets in a hotel in Chesapeake. Jackson also started the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast in Chesapeake.
Views on the Black Community
In 2012, Jackson gained attention for a video where he asked Black people to consider leaving the Democratic Party. He said the party had "abandoned the values of the black community." He also said that Black people had become too loyal to the party. He has spoken in Black churches about important issues facing the country.
Jackson has said that some Black leaders, like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Barack Obama, focus too much on what Black children "can’t do." He believes that Obama's focus on race divided people instead of bringing them together.
He explained that his comments were meant to help Black people, especially young people, "wake up to the possibilities of a life" of success. Jackson prefers to call himself "an American of African descent" instead of "African-American." He believes that all Americans should come together as one family.
Party Affiliation
Jackson was a Democrat for most of his life. However, in the 1980s, he became a conservative. He explained that he had a "crisis of conscience." He felt it was hard for him, as a Christian who believes in the Bible, to agree with some of the Democratic Party's views.
Jackson believes that some leaders in the Democratic Party are trying to remove God from politics and the country. He also thinks his ideas are closer to what many regular Virginians believe than what the Democratic Party leaders believe.
2012 Candidacy for U.S. Senate
In May 2011, Jackson announced he would run for the United States Senate seat in Virginia. This was for the 2012 election. George Allen won the Republican primary election in June 2012. Jackson received 5% of the votes in that election.
2013 Lieutenant Governor Candidacy
Jackson announced he was running for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia on December 1, 2012. On May 18, 2013, he was chosen as the Republican Party candidate for the position. This happened at a special meeting in Richmond. It took four rounds of voting and ten hours to choose him. Jackson had raised the least amount of money among the seven candidates, so his win was a big surprise. He was the first non-white person to be chosen for a statewide office by Virginia Republicans since 1988.
During his campaign, Jackson raised over $678,000. Most of this money came from many small donations, showing he had a lot of support from regular people.
Jackson's plan for education included supporting school vouchers. This would allow public money to help pay for private schools. He also wanted a change to the state's constitution to make this possible. He strongly supported the education plan of Ken Cuccinelli, who was running for governor. Jackson also suggested a constitutional change to provide equal resources for students who are taught at home (homeschooled).
He supported the Farm Freedom Act. This bill would allow family farmers to sell their products directly to customers without as many government rules. He believed that too many rules were hurting small farms.
Jackson's campaign also started a "Women for Jackson" group. This group supported his goals to give parents more choices in their children's education. They also wanted to make sure women's health clinics were safe and to create a better economy in Virginia for everyone.
Jackson was supported by groups like the Virginia Fraternal Order of Police, the Virginia Police Benevolent Association, and Gun Owners of America. Retired NASCAR racer Morgan Shepherd also supported him.
In the election on November 5, 2013, Ralph Northam defeated Jackson.
2018 Candidacy for U.S. Senate
Jackson ran for the U.S. Senate again in 2018. However, he only received 12% of the votes in the Republican primary election and did not move on to the main election.
2024 Presidential Candidacy
On July 14, 2023, Jackson announced he would run for President of the United States as a Republican. He campaigned on a platform based on Christian conservatism. He suggested four new changes to the United States Constitution if he were elected president. However, Jackson did not appear on the ballot in any state.
