Ten states held attorney general elections in2016.
HIGHLIGHTS
Of the ten seats up for election in 2016, six were held byDemocrats, while four were held byRepublicans. Four incumbent officeholders—one Republican inIndiana and three Democrats inMissouri,North Carolina, andPennsylvania—did not seek re-election, which put those four seats at greater risk of changing party hands. For several years prior to 2016, state attorneys general filed multi-state lawsuits that significantly altered national policies and regulations in industries such as tobacco, pharmaceuticals, clean energy, and healthcare.Click on a state flag to jump to election details:
Partisan analysis
| Partisan Breakdown: Attorneys General |
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| Party | As of November 2016 | After the 2016 Election |
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| | Democratic Party | 22 | 21 |
| | Republican Party | 25 | 26 |
| | Nonpartisan | 2 | 2 |
| | Independent | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 50 | 50 |
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The partisan breakdown of state attorneys general remained largely unchanged after the2014 elections, withDemocrats gaining two seats previously held byRepublicans.
Of the ten seats up for election in 2016, six were held by Democrats, while four were held by Republicans. This means Democrats held 60 percent of the seats up for election despite only holding 46 percent of seats across the country. This created apartisan risk in that a disproportionate number of seats held by Democrats were being challenged compared to the actual partisan balance. Democrats therefore entered the 2016 elections in a position of slightly greater partisan risk than Republicans.
Four incumbent officeholders announced that they were not seeking re-election:Indiana,Missouri,North Carolina, andPennsylvania. This included three Democratic incumbents (Missouri, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania) and one Republican incumbent (Indiana). Open elections left those four seats vulnerable to changing party hands.
One seat changed party hands in 2016—RepublicanJosh Hawley won the open seat inMissouri, which was previously under Democratic control.
Influence of voter turnout
Attorney general elections across the country coincided with what was ahighly competitive presidential election, which drives up voter turnout.[1] This increased turnout during presidential election years can significantly affect the partisan balance of state governments. In particular, offices elected during mid-presidential term elections disadvantage the party of the current president, a trend that has remained relatively constant since the Civil War. Presidential election years see aggregate gains for the party of the winning presidential candidate.[2][1]
Thirty-one states held elections for attorney general in2014, equal to 72 percent of the 43 states in which it is a publicly elected position. That same year,voter turnout was the lowest recorded since 1942.[3] Indeed, voter turnout has dropped during mid-presidential term elections since the 1840s.[2] This means a significant majority of publicly elected attorneys general are elected during these midterm cycles that see significantly lower turnout.
2016 elections
Races we watched
Pennsylvaniaheld an election forattorney general onNovember 8, 2016. The primary was onApril 26.Josh Shapiro (D) won the election, keeping the seat in Democratic hands.
North Carolinaheld an open election forattorney general onNovember 8, 2016.Josh Stein (D) won the election, keeping the attorney general's seat in Democratic hands.
HIGHLIGHTS
A Republican has not won election to the office of attorney general in North Carolina in over 100 years.Stein won the general election on November 8, 2016.
Other races
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| Clickshow to view a list of candidates who were defeated at the party nominating conventions or who declined to run in this election. | |
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General electionGeneral election for Attorney General of IndianaIncumbentCurtis Hill defeatedLorenzo Arredondo in the general election for Attorney General of Indiana on November 8, 2016.
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Josh Hawley(R)
Professor, University of Missouri Law School since 2011
| Click [show] to view candidates who declined to run in this election or who were defeated in the primary elections. | |
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General electionJosh Hawley defeatedTeresa Hensley in the Missouri attorney general election.Primary electionsDemocratic primary electionTeresa Hensley defeatedJake Zimmerman in the Missouri Democratic primary for attorney general.Republican primary electionJosh Hawley defeatedKurt Schaefer in the Missouri Republican primary for attorney general. |
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ResultsGeneral electionIncumbentTim Fox defeatedLarry Jent in the Montana attorney general election.Primary electionsRepublican primary contestTim Fox ran unopposed in the Montana Republican primary for attorney general.| Montana Republican primary for attorney general, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |  Tim Fox (unopposed) | 100.00% | 140,173 | | Total Votes (686 of 686 precincts reporting) | 140,173 | | Source:Montana Secretary of State |
Democratic primary contestLarry Jent ran unopposed in the Montana Democratic primary for attorney general.| Montana Democratic primary for attorney general, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | | Larry Jent (unopposed) | 100.00% | 102,171 | | Total Votes (686 of 686 precincts reporting) | 102,171 | | Source:Montana Secretary of State |
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Deborah Bucknam(R)
Private practice attorney specializing in civil litigation
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General electionT.J. Donovan defeatedDeborah Bucknam andRosemarie Jackowski in the Vermont attorney general election.Primary electionsDemocratic primary electionT.J. Donovan defeatedH. Brooke Paige in the Democratic primary for attorney general.| Democratic primary for attorney general, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | | T.J. Donovan | 67.00% | 49,017 | | H. Brooke Paige | 16.29% | 11,917 | | Write-in votes | 16.71% | 12,228 | | Total Votes (275 of 275 Precincts Reporting) | 73,162 | | Source: Vermont Secretary of State |
Republican primary electionDeborah Bucknam ran unopposed in the Republican primary for attorney general.| Republican primary for attorney general, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | | Deborah Bucknam (unopposed) | 67.19% | 31,173 | | Write-in votes | 32.81% | 15,221 | | Total Votes (275 of 275 Precincts Reporting) | 46,394 | | Source: Vermont Secretary of State |
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Joshua Trumbull(Lib.)
Most recent position: Private practice attorney
Past experience: Realtor
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Note: Washington utilizes a mail-in ballot system. Results were not finalized until 14 days after the primary election.[5] General electionIncumbentBob Ferguson defeatedJoshua Trumbull in the Washington attorney general election.Primary electionIncumbentBob Ferguson andJoshua Trumbull were unopposed in the Washington primary for attorney general. |
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General electionIncumbentPatrick Morrisey defeatedDoug Reynolds,Karl Kolenich, andMichael Sharley in the West Virginia attorney general election.Primary electionsDemocratic primary election Doug Reynolds ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for attorney general.| Democratic primary for Attorney General, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | | Doug Reynolds (unopposed) | 100.00% | 187,786 | | Total Votes (1,745 of 1,745 precincts reporting) | 187,786 | | Source:MetroNews |
Republican primary election IncumbentPatrick Morrisey ran unopposed in the Republican primary for attorney general.| Republican primary for Attorney General, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | | Patrick MorriseyIncumbent (unopposed) | 100.00% | 157,369 | | Total Votes (1,745 of 1,745 precincts reporting) | 157,369 | | Source:MetroNews |
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About the office
Theattorney general is an executive office in all 50 states 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.
In most states, the attorney general has a substantial influence on a state's approach to law enforcement. Attorneys general often set particular law enforcement priorities (e.g. drug law, civil rights violations or sexual crime) and focus extra resources on these issues. This puts them, in the words of the National Association of Attorneys General, at the "intersection of law and public policy."[6][7]
Attorneys general also play apivotal role in shaping state and national policies. In particular, recent years have seen state attorneys general filing multi-state lawsuits that have significantly altered national policies and regulations in industries such as tobacco, pharmaceuticals, clean energy, and healthcare.[8] For example, sincePresidentBarack Obama's election in 2008, Republican attorneys general have used multi-state cases and coordinated litigation to attempt to block theAffordable Care Act and environmental mandates. Such cases also sometimes bring settlement money into state coffers.[8]
Elected vs. appointed
43 states directly elect Attorneys General. Others are appointed by either the governor, state legislature or state supreme court.
Attorneys general are chosen in four different ways; they are either popularly elected or appointed by the governor, the state legislature, or the state supreme court. The office is elective in 43 states and chosen by a state government organ in seven.
The attorney general is appointed by thegovernor in five states:Alaska,Hawaii,New Hampshire,New Jersey andWyoming.
InMaine, the attorney general is chosen by the state legislature, while inTennessee the choice falls to thestate supreme court.
Past elections
2015
- See also:State executive official elections, 2015
Three states held elections for treasurer in 2015:Kentucky,Louisiana andMississippi.
To view the full electoral history for attorneys general, click [show] to expand the full section. | |
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2014
Thirty states held regularly scheduled attorney general elections in the 2014 electoral cycle: Utah also held a special election to fill the remaining two years ofJohn Swallow's term. 2013
- Main article:State executive official elections, 2013
One state,Virginia, held a regularly scheduled attorney general election in 2013. State SenatorsMark Herring (D) andMark 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 the victor by a margin of 165 votes.[9][10] Since the margin was equal to or less than 0.5 percent of the total vote, Obenshain, as the losing candidate, was entitled to request a publicly financed recount, which he did on November 27.[11][12] The recount began on December 26, and Obenshain conceded to Herring two days later, giving a Democrat control of the office for the first time in almost two decades.[13][14] 2012
Ten states held attorney general elections in the 2012 electoral cycle:Indiana,Missouri,Montana,North Carolina,Oregon,Pennsylvania,Utah,Vermont,Washington andWest Virginia. Heading into the November election, the Democrats held six of the seats and the Republicans held four seats. Five incumbents sought, and won, re-election, and the status breakdown of the remaining seats was as follows: - Two - Montana AGSteve Bullock (D) and Washington AGRob McKenna (R) - ran for thegovernorship in their respective states in2012.
- One - Utah AGMark Shurtleff (R) - retired from office.
- One - 2011 appointee Pennsylvania AGLinda Kelly (R) - did not run for election due to the terms of her Senate confirmation.
- One - Oregon AGJohn Kroger (D) - resigned six months ahead of schedule to take a new job as President of Reed College in Portland.Gov.John Kitzhaber appointedEllen Rosenblum, who was running for 2012 election to the attorney general post at the time, to serve as interim attorney general for the remainder of his unexpired term. Rosenblum was elected to a full term in the general election on November 6, 2012.
Democrats won six of the 2012 races while Republicans took four, thus the partisan balance remained unchanged. 2011
- Main article:Attorney General elections, 2011
Three states,Kentucky,Louisiana andMississippi, had regularly scheduled attorney general elections in the 2011 electoral cycle. Incumbents were re-elected in all three states.Democratic incumbentsJack Conway (KY) andJim Hood (MS) successfully defended their posts againstRepublican challengers Todd P’Pool andSteve Simpson, respectively. TheAttorney General of Louisiana election was decided even before the October 22, 2011 primary election. IncumbentRepublicanBuddy Caldwell was unopposed in the race after his sole challenger, former U.S. RepresentativeJoseph Cao, withdrew from the race in late September 2011, and the office ofattorney general did not appear on the ballot.[15] 2010
- Main article:Attorney General elections, 2010
Thirty attorney general elections were held onNovember 2, 2010. Of the 30 seats that were up for election, 20 were held by aDemocrat and 10 by aRepublican. 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. | Partisan breakdown of State Attorneys General |
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| Party | Before November 2010 election | After November 2010 election |
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| With 2010 elections | Unelected AGs | Total AGs | Post 2010 elections | Unelected AGs | Total AGs | Gain/loss legislators |
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| Democratic | 20 | 12 | 32 | 14 | 12 | 26 | -6 | | Republican | 10 | 8 | 18 | 16 | 8 | 24 | +6 |
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'state attorney general election' OR 'attorney general election' 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.1Campbell, J. E. (1987) "The revised theory of surge and decline."American Journal of Political Science, 965-979.
- ↑2.02.1Pew Research Center, “Voter turnout always drops off for midterm elections, but why?” July 24, 2014
- ↑TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
- ↑Oregon Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Abstract of Votes," accessed May 25, 2017
- ↑Washington Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions on Voting by Mail," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑The National Association of Attorneys General, "Home," accessed March 26, 2013
- ↑Council of State Governments, "The Book of States 2012," accessed October 17, 2012
- ↑8.08.1Governing.com, "The Story Behind the Prominent Rise of State AGs," March 28, 2016
- ↑Virginia State Board of Elections, " Election Results – General Election – November 5, 2013," accessed November 13, 2013 at 7:40 a.m. CT
- ↑Washington Post, "Herring wins Virginia attorney general race, elections board announces," November 25, 2013
- ↑USA Today, "Virginia attorney general race heads to recount," November 27, 2013
- ↑Politico, "Mark Obenshain to request recount in Virginia attorney general race," November 26, 2013
- ↑Politico, "Mark Obenshain to request recount in Virginia attorney general race," November 26, 2013
- ↑Washington Post, Obenshain concedes Virginia attorney general’s race to Herring, December 18, 2013
- ↑The Green Papers, "2010 Gubernatorial Primaries at a Glance"
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