While the upcoming presidential election continues to overwhelm the national media, there are several hotly contested attorney general (AG) elections to watch.
- In the Northeast, incumbent Pennsylvania AG Joshua Shapiro is running against Republican Heather Heidelbaugh. Heidelbaugh’s platform is that she is a “lawyer’s lawyer,” and will approach issues from a legal, not political perspective.
- In the Midwest, Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel competes against Republican Todd Rokita to replace incumbent Curtis Hill. Weinzapfel has received media attention for his intention to legalize marijuana in Indiana.
- In the Southeast, Republican Jim O’Neill is running against Democrat Josh Stein. O’Neill and Stein have expressed fundamentally different views on the role of an AG. This race is particularly important given North Carolina’s status as a swing state in the presidential election.
- In the great West, Montana’s AG election between Democrat Ralph Graybill and Republican Tim Fox could go either way depending on how several other Montana races could influence the outcome of the AG election.
- In the Pacific Northwest, it is safe to assume that Oregon and Washington will re-elect their incumbent Democrat AGs (Ellen Rosenblum and Bob Ferguson, respectively). Likewise, Republican AGs in Missouri (Eric Schmitt) and Utah (Sean Reyes) are shoo-ins for reelection.
- In this election season, lone state Maine — which elects its AG by the legislature — will likely re-elect incumbent Democrat Aaron Frey.