which states elect attorney general

by Lily Franecki IV 7 min read

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.

How many states have an elected Attorney General?

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

How are Attorney General positions chosen?

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.

What is the role of the state Attorney General?

One state, Virginia, held a regularly scheduled attorney general election in 2013. State Senators Mark Herring (D) and Mark Obenshain (R) faced off in the general election on November 5, 2013, and the race was considered too close to call until the State Board of Elections certified the results of the race on November 25, 2013, naming Herring ...

Can the Attorney General defend the state in a federal case?

42 rows ·  · Incumbent Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg is running for re-election. Website: Tennessee: August 4, 2022: The attorney general is appointed by the State Supreme Court for 8-year terms. Incumbent Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III's current term is up in 2022. Website: Texas: March 1, 2022: May 24, 2022 Runoff Rochelle Garza Joe Jaworski: May …

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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.

How district attorneys are elected in USA?

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 many attorney generals are there in New York?

New York Former Attorneys GeneralBarbara Underwood (Acting)2018Eric Schneiderman2011 – 2018Andrew M. Cuomo2007 – 2010Eliot Spitzer1999 – 2006Dennis Vacco1995 – 199859 more rows

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 Attorney General is appointed?

They are appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Union Cabinet under Article 76(1) of the Constitution and hold office during the pleasure of the President.

How many attorney generals are there in Texas?

OfficeholdersNo.NameTerm of service47Dan Morales1991–199948John Cornyn1999–200249Greg Abbott2002–201550Ken Paxton2015–present46 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.

Are district attorneys elected in New York?

The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York.

Are district attorneys elected in California?

The District Attorney (DA) is a constitutionally elected county official. The District Attorney is responsible for the prosecution of criminal violations of state law and county ordinances occurring within a county under California Government Code Section 26500.

Are district attorneys elected or appointed in Texas?

District attorneys are elected by voters to four-year terms.

What is the role of the Attorney General?

The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those of the United States Department of Justice .

How long does an attorney general serve?

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 Tennessee is appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court ...

How many terms can an attorney general serve in Puerto Rico?

Many states have passed term limits limiting the selection to 2 consecutive terms (9 states); 2 terms maximum (4 states), but 33 states still have no term limits.

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 .

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 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.

How many states have the power to appeal a criminal case?

Attorneys general: Power to represent state in criminal appeals. The attorney general has the power to represent the state in criminal appeals in 46 states, although this power is restricted in five of those states. Attorney general term limits. Attorney general term limits.

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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.