2016 United States attorney general elections

← 2015 November 8, 2016 2018 →
2017 (VA) →
10 attorney general offices 10 states[a]
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Seats before 23 20 Seats after 24 19 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 10,444,739[1] 11,149,338 Percentage 45.82% 48.92% Seats up 4 6 Seats won 5 5
Democratic hold      Republican hold     Republican gain      No election

The2016 United States attorney general elections were held on November 8, 2016, in 10 states.^[2] The previousattorney general elections for eight of the 10 states took place in 2012. The last attorney general elections forUtah andVermont took place in 2014, as Utah held a special election due to the resignation ofJohn Swallow, while the attorney general of Vermont serves two-year terms.^[3] The elections took place concurrently with the2016 presidential election,elections to the House of Representatives andSenate, and numerousstate andlocal elections.

Six state attorneys general ran for reelection and four did not.Missouri was only state that changedpartisan control, whereRepublicanJosh Hawley won theopen seat, replacing outgoingDemocratChris Koster.^[4] The four other open seats were won by the party which previously held the office, and all five incumbents who ran won re-election. Republicans expanded their majority control of popularly electedstate attorneys general.

States where the margin of victory was under 1%:

1. North Carolina, 0.4% (20,232 votes)

States where the margin of victory was under 5%:

1. Pennsylvania, 2.8% (165,685 votes)

States where the margin of victory was under 10%:

1. West Virginia, 9.7% (67,192 votes)

2016 Indiana Attorney General election

← 2012 November 8, 2016 2020 →

Nominee Curtis Hill Lorenzo Arredondo Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,643,689 994,085 Percentage 62.3% 37.7%

County results Hill:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Arredondo:     50–60%     60–70%

Attorney General before election Greg Zoeller Republican ElectedAttorney General Curtis Hill Republican

Incumbent RepublicanAttorney GeneralGreg Zoeller declined to run for a third term in order torun for the U.S. House of Representatives.^[5] Republicans choseElkhart County ProsecutorCurtis Hill over former Attorney GeneralSteve Carter,state senatorRandall Head, and Deputy Attorney General Abby Kuzma at the Republican state convention on June 11.^[6] Democrats nominated Lorenzo Arredondo, formerLake County Circuit Judge.^[7] Hill won the election.

2016 Missouri Attorney General election

← 2012 November 8, 2016 2020 →

Nominee Josh Hawley Teresa Hensley Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,607,550 1,140,252 Percentage 58.5% 41.5%

County results Hawley:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Hensley:     50–60%     70–80%

Attorney General before election Chris Koster Democratic ElectedAttorney General Josh Hawley Republican

Incumbent DemocraticAttorney GeneralChris Koster chose not to run for re-election to a third term, but insteadran for Governor of Missouri.^[9][10][11]

FormerCass County prosecuting attorney Tereasa Hensley was nominated in the Democratic primary overSt. Louis County assessorJake Zimmerman.^[12][13]State senatorScott Sifton also announced his candidacy, but withdrew before the primary in order to run for re-election.^[14] The Republican nominee wasMU law professorJosh Hawley, who was nominated over state senatorKurt Schaefer.^[15][16]

Although early polling showed a tighter race, Hawley won the election by a wide margin, becoming the first Republican attorney general sinceWilliam L. Webster left office in 1993.

2016 Montana Attorney General election

← 2012 November 8, 2016 2020 →

Nominee Tim Fox Larry Jent Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 332,766 158,970 Percentage 67.7% 32.3%

County results Fox:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Jent:     50–60%     60–70%

Attorney General before election Tim Fox Republican ElectedAttorney General Tim Fox Republican

Incumbent RepublicanTim Fox ran for re-election to a second term and was unopposed in the Republican primary. The Democratic nominee wasstate senatorLarry Jent, who also ran for the nomination unopposed. Fox easily won re-election.^[19]

2016 North Carolina Attorney General election

← 2012 November 8, 2016 2020 →

Nominee Josh Stein Buck Newton Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,303,619 2,279,006 Percentage 50.3% 49.7%

County results Stein:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Newton:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

Attorney General before election Roy Cooper Democratic ElectedAttorney General Josh Stein Democratic

Incumbent DemocraticAttorney GeneralRoy Cooper chose not to run for re-election to a fifth term in office, but instead successfullyran for Governor.^[20]

Primary elections were held on March 15. Democratic former state senatorJosh Stein defeated Republican state senatorBuck Newton in the general election.^[21][22]

2016 Oregon Attorney General election

← 2012 November 8, 2016 2020 →

Nominee Ellen Rosenblum Daniel Crowe Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,035,361 776,664 Percentage 55.2% 41.4%

County results Rosenblum:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Crowe:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

Attorney General before election Ellen Rosenblum Democratic ElectedAttorney General Ellen Rosenblum Democratic

Incumbent DemocraticAttorney GeneralEllen Rosenblum ran for re-election to a second full term. She won the election over Republican nominee Daniel Zene Crowe.^[25]

2016 Pennsylvania Attorney General election

← 2012 November 8, 2016 2020 →

Nominee Josh Shapiro John Rafferty Jr. Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,057,010 2,891,325 Percentage 51.4% 48.6%

County results Shapiro:     50–60%     60–70%     80–90% Rafferty:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

Attorney General before election Bruce Beemer Democratic ElectedAttorney General Josh Shapiro Democratic

Incumbent DemocraticAttorney GeneralKathleen Kane originally indicated her intention to seek re-election, but dropped out after she was criminally charged with violating grand jury secrecy laws stemming from alleged leaks of grand jury investigation details to embarrass a political enemy.^[27][28] Inspector GeneralBruce Beemer was appointed to fill out the remainder of her term, although he did not seek election to a full term.

Democratic candidates includedNorthampton County District Attorney John Morganelli,^[29]Montgomery County Board of Supervisors chairJosh Shapiro,^[30] andAllegheny County District AttorneyStephen Zappala.^[31] The Republican primary was between two candidates:state senatorJohn Rafferty Jr. and former prosecutor Joe Peters.^[32][33] Shapiro and Rafferty won their respective primaries.^[34]

Governing rated this election as a tossup.^[35] Shapiro narrowly defeated Rafferty in the general election.

2016 Utah Attorney General election

← 2014 (special) November 8, 2016 2020 →

Nominee Sean Reyes Jon Harper Andrew McCullough Party Republican Democratic Libertarian Popular vote 719,064 275,571 73,975 Percentage 65.4% 25.1% 6.7%

County results Reyes:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Harper:     40–50%

Attorney General before election Sean Reyes Republican ElectedAttorney General Sean Reyes Republican

Incumbent RepublicanAttorney GeneralSean Reyes ran for re-election to a full term after serving the remainder ofJohn Swallow's term. He easily won the general election, defeating Democratic nominee Jon Harper and Libertarian nominee Andrew McCullogh.^[37]

2016 Vermont Attorney General election

← 2014 November 8, 2016 2018 →

Nominee T. J. Donovan Deborah Bucknam Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 200,020 88,431 Percentage 66.6% 29.4%

County results Donovan:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Buckman:     40–50%

Attorney General before election William Sorrell Democratic ElectedAttorney General T. J. Donovan Democratic

Incumbent DemocraticAttorney GeneralWilliam Sorrell, the state's longest-serving Attorney General (since 1997), did not run for re-election.^[39] Democratic nomineeT.J. Donovan won the general election.^[40]

2016 Washington Attorney General election

← 2012 November 8, 2016 2020 →

Nominee Bob Ferguson Joshua B. Trumbull Party Democratic Libertarian Popular vote 2,000,804 979,105 Percentage 66.9% 32.8%

County results Ferguson:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Trumbull:     50–60%

Attorney General before election Bob Ferguson Democratic ElectedAttorney General Bob Ferguson Democratic

Incumbent DemocraticAttorney GeneralBob Ferguson sought re-election, opposed by Joshua B. Trumbull, who ran as a Libertarian.^[41] In the general election, Ferguson won re-election to a second term, defeating Trumbull.^[42]

2016 West Virginia Attorney General election

← 2012 November 8, 2016 2020 →

Nominee Patrick Morrisey Doug Reynolds Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 358,424 291,232 Percentage 51.6% 42.0%

County results Morrisey:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Reynolds:     40–50%     50–60%

Attorney General before election Patrick Morrisey Republican ElectedAttorney General Patrick Morrisey Republican

Incumbent RepublicanAttorney GeneralPatrick Morrisey ran for re-election to a second term. He faced Democraticstate delegateDoug Reynolds in the general election, with both being unopposed in their respective primaries. Morrisey won the general election.^[45]

• 2016 United States state attorney general elections

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