states where attorney general is elected

by Delaney Emard 3 min read

In Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming, the attorney general is a gubernatorial appointee. The attorney general in Tennessee is appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court for an eight-year term. In Maine, the attorney general is elected by the state Legislature for a two-year term.

Who appoints the Attorney General?

Attorneys general are the top legal officers of their state or territory. They advise and represent their legislature and state agencies and act as the “People’s Lawyer” for the citizens. Most are elected, though a few are appointed by the governor. Select your state to connect to your state attorney general's website.

Should Attorney General be appointed or elected?

29 rows · The attorney general is directly elected in 43 states. The attorney general is appointed ...

Who is the Attorney General now?

9 hours ago · May 16, 2022, 1:35 AM PDT. By Adam Edelman. The Supreme Court appears poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, a decision that would end legal abortion in nearly two dozen states and hand more power to ...

How is Attorney General appointed?

Oct 13, 2021 · Virginia has the only state attorney general election in 2021.

image

Is US attorney general appointed or elected?

The attorney general is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States. Washington, D.C. Under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution, the officeholder is nominated by the president of the United States, then appointed with the advice and consent of the United States Senate.

Is the attorney general of New York elected or appointed?

Attorneys general have been elected by the voters since 1847.

Is an attorney general federal state or local?

The office of attorney general exists in all 50 U.S. states. The primary job of a state attorney general is to serve as chief legal adviser to the agencies and legislative organs that make up his or her state's government, in addition to the citizens residing within the state.

Who appoints the US attorney general?

The President
The President shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, an Attorney General of the United States. The Attorney General is the head of the Department of Justice. (Added Pub. L.

Does NYC have an Attorney General?

About the Attorney General

Letitia “Tish” James is the 67th Attorney General for the State of New York.

How many attorney generals are there in New York?

New York Former Attorneys General
Barbara Underwood (Acting)2018
Eric Schneiderman2011 – 2018
Andrew M. Cuomo2007 – 2010
Eliot Spitzer1999 – 2006
Dennis Vacco1995 – 1998
59 more rows

How many attorney generals are there in Texas?

Officeholders
No.NameTerm of service
47Dan Morales1991–1999
48John Cornyn1999–2002
49Greg Abbott2002–2015
50Ken Paxton2015–present
46 more rows

What is the purpose of the attorney general of a state?

Attorneys general are the top legal officers of their state or territory. They advise and represent their legislature and state agencies and act as the “People's Lawyer” for the citizens. Most are elected, though a few are appointed by the governor.

Who is the DA in California?

Los Angeles County District Attorney
District Attorney of Los Angeles County
Incumbent George Gascón since December 7, 2020
SeatClara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center 210 West Temple Street Los Angeles, California, United States
AppointerPopular vote
Term lengthFour years
6 more rows

Are US District Attorneys elected?

Depending upon the state's law, DAs may be appointed by the chief executive of the jurisdiction or elected by local voters. Most criminal matters in the United States are handled in state judicial systems, but a comparable office for the United States Federal government is the United States Attorney.

How are US attorneys appointed?

The President appoints a United States Attorney to each of the 94 federal districts (Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are separate districts but share a United States Attorney).

Does Canada have an Attorney General?

The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment under the judicial application process established in 2016.

Which states have elected an attorney general in 2015?

Three states held elections for attorney general in 2015: Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi. In Kentucky, Andy Beshear (D) won election to the attorney general seat. Democrat Jim Hood was re-elected in Mississippi, while Republican Jeff Landry defeated incumbent Buddy Caldwell, also a Republican, in a runoff in Louisiana.

How many states have an attorney general?

The attorney general is directly elected in 43 states and Washington, D.C. The attorney general is appointed by the state Legislature in Maine, by the state Supreme Court in Tennessee, and by the governor in the remaining five states. Compensation of state attorneys general (2017)

How many attorney generals did the Democratic Party control in 1977?

In 1977, the Democratic Party held a total of 27 elected attorney general offices to the Republican Party 's 16. The Democratic lead in attorney general offices would be maintained through the 1990s, as opposed to the other three top executive offices, which became majority-Republican following the 1994 midterm elections. In the 2010 midterm elections, the Republican Party gained a lead in elected attorney general offices, with 22 elected attorneys general to the Democrats' 21. The Democratic victory in the 2013 Virginia election for attorney general caused the party to briefly regain a 22-21 majority of elected attorney general offices. This lead was lost in the 2014 midterm elections. After that point, the Republican Party continued to grow its majority control of elected attorney general offices.

How many territories does Ballotpedia cover?

Although Ballotpedia covers the five U.S. territories#N#The five U.S. territories are American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands.#N#and their officeholders, territory officeholders are not included in the following figures.

How many elections were held in 2010?

Thirty attorney general elections were held on November 2, 2010. Of the 30 seats that were up for election, 20 were held by a Democrat and 10 by a Republican. Of those 30 races, 16 were won by Republicans and 14 by Democrats- a net gain of six by Republicans over their pre-election total.

How much does an attorney general make?

According to compensation figures for 2017 compiled by the Council of State Governments in the Book of the States, the highest salary for an attorney general is $182,688 in Tennessee, while the lowest is $80,000 in Colorado. To view the compensation of a particular attorney general, hover your mouse over the state.

What is the job of the Attorney General?

The attorney general is an executive office in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., that serves as the chief legal advisor and chief law enforcement officer for the state government and is empowered to prosecute violations of state law, represent the state in legal disputes and issue legal advice to state agencies and the legislature.

When is the next election for the Attorney General of the United States?

Independent incumbent No election. The 2022 United States Attorney General elections will be held on November 8, 2022 to elect the attorneys general in thirty states, three territories, and one federal district. The previous elections for this group of states took place in 2018. The attorney general of Vermont serves two-year terms ...

How long is the attorney general term in Vermont?

The attorney general of Vermont serves two-year terms and was last elected in 2020. These elections will take place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections .

How many attorney general seats will be open in 2022?

Overall, there could be as many as seven attorney general seats open this upcoming 2022 election due to incumbents seeking higher office. This situation creates the potential for new policies, changing administrative procedures, and differing approaches to addressing hot button topics, even if the seat remains on the same side of the political aisle.

Why is the attorney general election important?

Attorney general elections are critical for several reasons, including that new attorneys general typically focus on their campaign priorities. Additionally, incumbent attorneys general who are approaching the end of their terms often want to leave office with no unfinished business. Given the political affiliation of each state's attorney general position has not changed since before the pandemic, the upcoming election cycle is likely to create waves in state politics. Here are some races to watch as we near the 2022 state attorney general election cycle.

Who is the attorney general of Virginia in 2021?

Virginia has the only state attorney general election in 2021. Democrat Mark Herring – who could be the first attorney general in the commonwealth to secure a third term in office – has built a reputation and is campaigning on combatting the opioid epidemic and fighting for Virginia taxpayers, seniors, veterans and families during his time in office. Jason Miyares — a former prosecutor and current member of the Virginia House of Delegates — presents a profile that has traditionally served candidates well in state attorneys general elections.

Who is running for governor in Kansas?

Derek Schmidt (R), Kansas' three-term attorney general, is currently campaigning for governor. Two Republican candidates have since announced their candidacy for his position, and former prosecutor, Chris Mann is seeking the Democratic nomination.

Who owns Westlaw Today?

Westlaw Today is owned by Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News.

Who is running for Attorney General in 2022?

Incumbent Chris Carr and Charlie Bailey are running in the general election for Attorney General of Georgia on November 8, 2022. Incumbents are bolded and underlined .

What is official candidate?

Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who: Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline. Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies.

When is the Georgia election 2022?

Georgia is holding an election for attorney general on November 8, 2022. Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated.

image

Overview

Selection

The most prevalent method of selecting a state's attorney general is by popular election. 43 states have an elected attorney general. Elected attorneys general serve a four-year term, except in Vermont, where the term is two years.
Seven states do not popularly elect an attorney general. In Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming, the attorney general is a gubernatorial appointee. The attorney general in …

Defense of the state in federal lawsuits

State attorneys general enforce both state and federal laws. Because they are sworn to uphold the United States' constitution and laws as well as the state's, they often decline to defend the state in federal lawsuits.

See also

• State constitutional officer (United States)
• National Association of Attorneys General
• List of U.S. statewide elected officials

External links

• Listing of official State Attorney General websites

Overview

The 2022 United States Attorney General elections will be held on November 8, 2022, to elect the attorneys general in thirty states, three territories, and one federal district. The previous elections for this group of states took place in 2018. The attorney general of Vermont serves two-year terms and was last elected in 2020.

Partisan composition

Going into the election, there are 23 Republican attorneys general and 20 Democratic attorneys general. This class of attorneys general is made of 16 Democrats and 14 Republicans.
Republicans will be defending two states won by Joe Biden in 2020, while Democrats are defending one state won by Donald Trump. Additionally, Democrats hold attorney general offices in four states with Republican governors. By contrast, Republicans hold attorney general offices in one …

Election predictions

Several sites and individuals published predictions of competitive seats. These predictions looked at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent is running for re-election), the strength of the candidates, and the partisan leanings of the state (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assigned ratings to each seat, with the rating indicating the predicted advantage that a party has in winning that seat.

Alabama

Incumbent Republican Steve Marshall is running for re-election. Attorney Harry Still III is primary-challenging Marshall. Democrat Tarrant police chief Wendell Major is also running.

Arizona

The 2022 Arizona Attorney General election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the Attorney General of Arizona. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich is term-limited, cannot seek re-election to a third term in office and instead is running for the U.S. Senate.
Republican candidates include former assistant U.S. attorney Lacy Cooper, former Tucson city councilman Rodney Glassman, former Arizona Supreme Court justice Andrew Gould, chair of the A…

Arkansas

The 2022 Arkansas Attorney General election will be held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Attorney General of Arkansas. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Leslie Rutledge won re-election on November 6, 2018, to a second term. She is term-limited and had announced a campaign for Governor of Arkansas in 2022 but later switched to run for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas.

California

The 2022 California Attorney General election will be held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Attorney General of California. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta was appointed to the office on April 23, 2021, following the resignation of Xavier Becerra to become the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. He running for election to a full term.
Republican candidates include attorney and business owner Eric Early and former assistant attor…

Colorado

Incumbent Democrat Attorney General Phil Weiser is running for re-election. Republican John Kellner, district attorney for the 18th district court of Colorado, is running against Weiser. Robert Barbrady is running as the candidate of the American Constitution Party.