Attorney General elections, 2022
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As a result of the 2022 elections, the partisan composition of state attorneys general was 27 Republicans and 23 Democrats. In three states—Arizona,Iowa, andVermont—the office changed party control, resulting in a net gain of one office for Democrats and a net loss of one office for Republicans.
All 50 states have anattorney general who serves as the state's chief legal officer. The attorney general is responsible for enforcing state law and advising the state government on legal matters. In many states, attorneys general play a large role in the law enforcement process. Seventeen states impose some form of term limits on attorneys general.
- Republicans gained the state attorney general's office in Iowa asBrenna Bird (R) defeated incumbentTom Miller (D).
- Democrats gained the state attorney general's offices in Arizona and Vermont.
- Kris Mayes (D) defeatedAbraham Hamadeh (R) in the open-seat race to succeedMark Brnovich (R) in Arizona.
- Charity Clark (D) defeatedMichael Tagliavia (R) to succeedSusanne Young (R) in Vermont. Gov.Phil Scott (R) appointed Young to replace former Attorney GeneralT.J. Donovan (D) in 2022.
Voters decided who would control 34 of 50 state attorney general offices on November 8. Thirty offices were up for election, and four offices’ appointment authorities were on the ballot. Before the election, the nationwide partisan balance of attorneys general was 22 Democrats and 28 Republicans.
In addition,two U.S. territories held elections for attorney general in 2022:Guam andNorthern Mariana Islands.
Ballotpedia considered the following states' attorney general elections to bebattlegrounds:Arizona,Georgia,Iowa,Michigan,Nevada, andWisconsin.
Astate government triplex describes when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.
Partisan balance
The following chart displays the number of attorney general offices held by each party as of the 2022 elections and immediately after the elections took place.
| U.S. attorneys general partisan breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2022 | After the 2022 elections | |
| Democratic Party | 22 | 23 (+1) | |
| Republican Party | 28 | 27 (-1) | |
| Total | 50 | 50 | |
Historical control
In 1977, theDemocratic Party held a total of 27 elected attorney general offices to theRepublican 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 the2013 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.
List of attorney general elections
There were 16 Democratic-held attorney general offices and 14 Republican-held attorney general offices on the ballot in 2022. The table below shows which states held attorney general elections in 2022.
Battlegrounds
Ballotpedia identified six of the 30 attorney general elections that took place in 2022 as battlegrounds:Arizona,Georgia,Iowa,Michigan,Nevada, andWisconsin.
Of the six, four were in states with Democratic incumbents and two were in states with Republican incumbents. Three took place in states where the incumbent was a member of a different party than the candidate who won the 2020 presidential election in the state.
Battleground map
The following map displays all states that held elections for attorney general in 2022 shaded by the incumbent's or most recent incumbent's political affiliation. Battlegrounds are highlighted in brighter colors. Hover over a state for more information.
Sabato's Crystal Ball 2022 competitive analysis
In September 2022,Sabato's Crystal Ball released an analysis of state attorney general election competitiveness. The analysis grouped 30 races into three categories:
- Republican seat, not competitive
- Democratic seat, not competitive
- Competitive seat
The table below shows howSabato's Crystal Ball rated each election. Clickhere to read the full analysis.[2]
| Sabato's Crystal Ball 2022 Attorney General election competitiveness | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Incumbent | Sabato's Crystal Ball rating | Incumbent running? |
| Alabama |  Steve Marshall | Republican seat, not competitive | Yes |
| Arkansas | Leslie Rutledge | Republican seat, not competitive | Incumbent is term-limited |
| Florida | Ashley B. Moody | Republican seat, not competitive | Yes |
| Nebraska | Doug Peterson | Republican seat, not competitive | No |
| North Dakota | Drew Wrigley | Republican seat, not competitive | Yes |
| Ohio | Dave Yost | Republican seat, not competitive | Yes |
| Oklahoma | John O'Connor | Republican seat, not competitive | Incumbent defeated in primary |
| South Carolina | Alan Wilson | Republican seat, not competitive | Yes |
| South Dakota | Mark Vargo | Republican seat, not competitive | No |
| Idaho | Lawrence Wasden | Competitive seat | Incumbent defeated in primary |
| Texas | Ken Paxton | Competitive seat | Yes |
| Georgia | Chris Carr | Competitive seat | Yes |
| Kansas | Derek Schmidt | Competitive seat | No |
| Arizona | Mark Brnovich | Competitive seat | Incumbent is term-limited |
| Iowa |  Tom Miller | Competitive seat | Yes |
| Wisconsin | Josh Kaul | Competitive seat | Yes |
| Nevada | Aaron Ford | Competitive seat | Yes |
| Minnesota | Keith Ellison | Competitive seat | Yes |
| Michigan | Dana Nessel | Competitive seat | Yes |
| New Mexico | Hector Balderas | Competitive seat | Incumbent is term-limited |
| Colorado | Phil Weiser | Competitive seat | Yes |
| California | Rob Bonta | Democratic seat, not competitive | Yes |
| Connecticut | William Tong | Democratic seat, not competitive | Yes |
| Delaware | Kathy Jennings | Democratic seat, not competitive | Yes |
| Illinois | Kwame Raoul | Democratic seat, not competitive | Yes |
| Maryland | Brian Frosh | Democratic seat, not competitive | No |
| Massachusetts | Maura Healey | Democratic seat, not competitive | No |
| New York | Letitia James | Democratic seat, not competitive | Yes |
| Rhode Island | Peter Neronha | Democratic seat, not competitive | Yes |
| Vermont | T.J. Donovan | Democratic seat, not competitive | No |
Offices that flipped in 2018
- See also:Attorney General elections, 2018
In 2018, the previous midterm election year, the same 30 attorney general offices were on the ballot. Democrats gained control of four offices from Republicans.
| Attorney general offices that changed party control, 2018 elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Pre-election control | Post-election control | |
| Colorado | Cynthia Coffman | Phil Weiser | |
| Michigan | Bill Schuette | Dana Nessel | |
| Nevada | Adam Laxalt | Aaron Ford | |
| Wisconsin | Brad Schimel | Josh Kaul | |
State government triplexes
- See also:State government triplexes
Astate government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government:governor,attorney general, andsecretary of state.[3] In states where the attorney general or secretary of state are appointed by the governor, Ballotpedia considers the office to be held by the governor's party for the purposes of defining triplexes.[4]
Important dates and deadlines
The table below lists important dates throughout the 2022 election cycle, including filing deadlines and primary dates.
| Primary dates and filing deadlines, 2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Primary date | Primary runoff date | Filing deadline for primary candidates | Source |
| Alabama | 5/24/2022 | 6/21/2022 | 1/28/2022 2/11/2022 (congressional) | Source |
| Alaska | 8/16/2022 | N/A | 6/1/2022 | Source |
| Arizona | 8/2/2022 | N/A | 4/4/2022 | Source |
| Arkansas | 5/24/2022 | 6/21/2022 | 3/1/2022 | Source |
| California | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 3/11/2022 | Source |
| Colorado | 6/28/2022 | N/A | 3/15/2022 | Source |
| Connecticut | 8/9/2022 | N/A | 6/7/2022 | Source |
| Delaware | 9/13/2022 | N/A | 7/12/2022 | Source |
| Florida | 8/23/2022 | N/A | 6/17/2022 | Source |
| Georgia | 5/24/2022 | 6/21/2022 | 3/11/2022 | Source |
| Hawaii | 8/13/2022 | N/A | 6/7/2022 | Source |
| Idaho | 5/17/2022 | N/A | 3/11/2022 | Source |
| Illinois | 6/28/2022 | N/A | 3/14/2022 | Source |
| Indiana | 5/3/2022 | N/A | 2/4/2022 | Source |
| Iowa | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 3/18/2022 | Source |
| Kansas | 8/2/2022 | N/A | 6/1/2022 | Source |
| Kentucky | 5/17/2022 | N/A | 1/25/2022 | Source |
| Louisiana | 11/8/2022 | N/A | 7/22/2022[5] | Source |
| Maine | 6/14/2022 | N/A | 3/15/2022 | Source |
| Maryland | 7/19/2022 | N/A | 4/15/2022 | Source |
| Massachusetts | 9/6/2022 | N/A | 5/31/2022 6/7/2022 (Congress and statewide office) | Source |
| Michigan | 8/2/2022 | N/A | 4/19/2022 | Source |
| Minnesota | 8/9/2022 | N/A | 5/31/2022 | Source |
| Mississippi | 6/7/2022 | 6/28/2022 | 3/1/2022 | Source |
| Missouri | 8/2/2022 | N/A | 3/29/2022 | Source |
| Montana | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 3/14/2022 | Source |
| Nebraska | 5/10/2022 | N/A | 2/15/2022 | Source |
| Nevada | 6/14/2022 | N/A | 3/18/2022 | Source |
| New Hampshire | 9/13/2022 | N/A | 6/10/2022 | Source |
| New Jersey | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 4/4/2022 | Source |
| New Mexico | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 3/24/2022 | Source |
| New York | 6/28/2022; 8/23/2022 (congressional and state senate only) | N/A | 4/7/2022; 6/10/2022 (congressional and state senate only) | Source |
| North Carolina | 5/17/2022 | 7/5/2022 (if no federal office is involved); 7/26/2022 (if a federal office is involved) | 3/4/2022 | Source |
| North Dakota | 6/14/2022 | N/A | 4/11/2022 | Source |
| Ohio | 5/3/2022 (Congress and statewide offices) 8/2/2022 (state legislative offices) | N/A | 2/2/2022 (U.S. House candidates: 3/4/2022) | Source |
| Oklahoma | 6/28/2022 | 8/23/2022 | 4/15/2022 | Source |
| Oregon | 5/17/2022 | N/A | 3/8/2022 | Source |
| Pennsylvania | 5/17/2022 | N/A | 3/15/2022 (Congress and statewide offices only) 3/28/2022 (state legislative candidates) | Source Source |
| Rhode Island | 9/13/2022 | N/A | 7/15/2022 | Source |
| South Carolina | 6/14/2022 | 6/28/2022 | 3/30/2022 | Source |
| South Dakota | 6/7/2022 | N/A | 3/29/2022 | Source |
| Tennessee | 8/4/2022 | N/A | 4/7/2022 | Source |
| Texas | 3/1/2022 | 5/24/2022 | 12/13/2021 | Source |
| Utah | 6/28/2022 | N/A | 3/4/2022 | Source |
| Vermont | 8/9/2022 | N/A | 5/26/2022 | Source |
| Virginia[6] | 6/21/2022 | N/A | 4/7/2022 | Source |
| Washington | 8/2/2022 | N/A | 5/20/2022 | Source |
| West Virginia | 5/10/2022 | N/A | 1/29/2022 | Source |
| Wisconsin | 8/9/2022 | N/A | 6/1/2022 | Source |
| Wyoming | 8/16/2022 | N/A | 5/27/2022 | |
The table below lists changes made to election dates and deadlines in the 2022 election cycle. Items are listed in reverse chronological order by date of change, with the most recent change appearing first.
| Record of date and deadline changes, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Date of change | Description of change | Source |
| Louisiana | 6/6/2022 | A federal district court, in striking down the state's congressional redistricting plan, postponed the deadline for candidates qualifying by petition in lieu of paying the filing fee from June 22, 2022, to July 8, 2022. The court's order did not affect the July 22, 2022, deadline for candidates qualifying by paying the filing fee. | Source |
| Ohio | 5/28/2022 | Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) called for the state legislative primary to be held on August 2, 2022 (the primary was originally scheduled for May 3, 2022). | Source |
| New York | 5/10/2022 | A federal district court judge affirmed the decision of a state-level judge to postpone the primaries for congressional and state senate offices to August 23, 2022 (the primary was originally scheduled for June 28, 2022). The state court then issued an order establishing new candidate filing deadlines. | Source;Source |
| Pennsylvania | 3/16/2022 | The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania fixed March 28, 2022, as the filing deadline for General Assembly candidates. | Source |
| Maryland | 3/15/2022 | The Maryland Court of Appeals postponed the primary election from June 28, 2022, to July 19, 2022. The court also extended the filing deadline from March 22, 2022, to April 15, 2022. | Source |
| Massachusetts | 2/14/2022 | Governor Charlie Baker (R) signed a bill into law that rescheduled the state's primary election from September 20, 2022, to September 6, 2022. | Source |
| Ohio | 5/28/2022 | Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R), in response to a federal court order, directed that the primary for state legislative offices be held on August 2, 2022. | Source |
| Utah | 2/14/2022 | Governor Spencer Cox (R) signed SB170 into law, moving the candidate filing deadline to March 4, 2022. The original filing deadline was set for March 11, 2022. | Source |
| Maryland | 2/11/2022 | The Maryland Court of Appeals extended the candidate filing deadline from February 22, 2022, to March 22, 2022. | Source |
| Pennsylvania | 2/9/2022 | The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania suspended the candidate filing period for the primary election, pending resolution of a redistricting dispute. The original filing deadline was set for March 8, 2022. The court later fixed March 15, 2022, as the filing deadline for statewide offices and the U.S. Congress. | Source |
| Alabama | 1/24/2022 | The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama postponed the filing deadline for primary congressional candidates from January 28, 2022, to February 11, 2022. | Source |
| Kentucky | 1/6/2022 | Governor Andy Beshear (D) signed HB172 into law, extending the filing deadline for partisan candidates from January 7, 2022, to January 25, 2022. | Source |
| North Carolina | 12/8/2021 | The Supreme Court of North Carolina ordered the postponement of the statewide primary, originally scheduled for March 8, 2022, to May 17, 2022. The court also suspended candidate filing, which subsequently resumed on February 24, 2022, and concluded on March 4, 2022. | Source |
| North Carolina | 2/9/2022 | The North Carolina State Board of Elections announced that candidate filing, having been suspended by the state supreme court in December 2021, would resume on February 24, 2022, and conclude on March 4, 2022. | Source |
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."[7][8]
Analysis of state elections
In 2022, 44 states held elections forexecutive,legislative, orjudicial seats, including elections for88 of the nation's99 state legislative chambers,36 gubernatorial offices, and32 state supreme court seats.
State legislative elections
- See also:State legislative elections, 2022
On November 8, 2022, members in 88 of the country's 99 state legislative chambers were up for election across 46 states. These elections were for 6,278 of the country's 7,383 state legislative seats (85%).
Heading into the election,Democrats controlled 36 chambers andRepublicans controlled 62. Abipartisan coalition controlled theAlaska House.
As a result of the election:
- Democrats gained control of four chambers—the Michigan House and Senate, Minnesota Senate, and Pennsylvania House—bringing their total to 40.[10] Wins in Minnesota and Michigan created new Democratic trifectas in those states. Both had previously been divided governments.
- In Alaska, abipartisan coalition gained control of the Senate. The coalition in the House changed from being made primarily of Democrats and independents to one made primarily of Republicans.
- Republicans lost control of five chambers, bringing their total to 57.
Featured analysis
- State legislative seats that changed party control in 2022: As a result of the Nov. 8, 2022, elections, partisan composition of all 7,386 state legislative seats changed by less than half a percentage point.Democrats had a net loss of six seats, representing 0.1% of all state legislative seats.Republicans had a net gain of 28 seats, representing 0.4% of all state legislative seats.[11]Independents and minor party officeholders had a net loss of20 seats, representing 0.2% of all state legislative seats.
- Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 12, 2022: Competitiveness refers to the presence of choice throughout the election cycle. A greater level of competitiveness means voters have the ability to make more decisions. A lower level of competitiveness equals fewer choices. State legislative competitiveness in 2022 reached its highest level compared to all even-year election cycles since 2010. In 2022, the nationwide State Legislative Competitiveness Index is 36.2, beating out 2018 (36.1) and the 2012 post-redistricting cycle (35.2).
More related articles
- State legislative special elections
- Impact of term limits
- Open seats
- Contested primaries
- Incumbents in contested primaries
- Data on incumbents defeated
- Summaries of incumbents defeated in primaries
- Incumbent win rates by state
- Pivot counties in state legislative elections
- Trifecta vulnerability in the 2022 elections
- Rematches in 2022 general elections
- Elections without a Democratic or Republican candidate
- States with two or more statewide offices up for election
- Wave election analysis
- Seats that changed party control
- Veto-proof state legislatures with opposing party governors
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 elections to watch, 2022
- Candidates with the same last names, 2022
- Trends in the margins of victory for incumbents of three or more terms, 2018-2024
State executive elections
State executive offices up for election in 2022 included36gubernatorial seats,30lieutenant gubernatorial seats,30attorney general seats, and27secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there were307 state executive seats up for election across 44 states in 2022.[12]
Of the 36 that held elections forgovernor, four offices changed party hands. Partisan control changed from Republican to Democratic inArizona,Maryland, andMassachusetts. Partisan control changed from Democratic to Republican inNevada, where incumbent GovernorSteve Sisolak (D) was the only incumbent governor to lose re-election in 2022.
The partisan control of three lieutenant governors' offices changed. The office switched from Democrat to Republican in Nevada and from Republican to Democrat in Maryland and Massachusetts.
The partisan control of two secretary of State offices changed from Republican to Democrat.
In three states—Arizona, Iowa, and Vermont—the office of attorney general changed party control, resulting in a net gain of one office for Democrats and a net loss of one office for Republicans.
Featured analysis
- Trifecta vulnerability in the 2022 elections: Thirteen state government trifectas were vulnerable in the 2022 elections, according to Ballotpedia's annual trifecta vulnerability ratings. Democrats defended seven vulnerable trifectas and Republicans defended six. A state government trifecta occurs when one party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 37state government trifectas: 23 Republican trifectas and 14 Democratic trifectas. The remaining 13 states had a divided government where neither party had a trifecta.
- State government triplexes: Heading into the November 8 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and 9 divided governments where neither party held triplex control. A state government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government:governor,attorney general, andsecretary of state.[13] In states where the attorney general or secretary of state are appointed by the governor, Ballotpedia considers the office to be held by the governor's party for the purposes of defining triplexes.[14]
- Annual State Executive Competitiveness Report: Ballotpedia's 2022 study of competitiveness instate executive official elections found that 37.1% of incumbents did not seek re-election, leaving those offices open. This was higher than in 2020 (35.6%) and 2014 (32.7%) but lower than in 2018 (38.6%) and 2016 (45.2%). The decade average for open offices was 37.8%.
More related articles
- State executive official elections overview
- Gubernatorial elections
- Secretary of State elections
- Attorney General elections
- Historical and potential changes in trifectas
- State government trifectas
- Impact of term limits on state executive elections
- Rematches in 2022 general elections
- Elections without a Democratic or Republican candidate
- Wave election analysis
- Veto-proof state legislatures and opposing party governors
- Democratic Party battleground primaries
- Republican Party battleground primaries
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 elections to watch, 2022
State judicial elections
- See also:State judicial elections, 2022
A total of382 appellate court seats were up for election in 2022. This included84 supreme court seats and298 intermediate appellate court seats.
In addition, in theU.S. Territories, theNorthern Mariana Islands heldretention elections for two judges on theNorthern Mariana Islands Superior Court in 2022.
Ballotpedia provided coverage ofsupreme court andintermediate appellate court elections, as well aslocal trial court elections for judges within the100 largest cities in the United States as measured by population.
Featured analysis
- Partisanship of state supreme court judges: In June 2020, Ballotpedia conducted a study into the partisanship of state supreme court justices. The study placed each justice into one of five categories indicating confidence in their affiliations with either the Democratic or Republican Parties. These categories were Strong Democratic, Mild Democratic, Indeterminate, Mild Republican, and Strong Republican.
More related articles
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑2020 election for Vermont.
- ↑Sabato's Crystal Ball, "The Attorneys General: A Dozen Races Dot the Competitive Landscape," September 14, 2022
- ↑Ballotpedia chose to highlight these offices because they are typically the most visible positions in states and serve important administrative functions.
- ↑This is because it is very uncommon for an attorney general or secretary of state appointed by a governor to often be in direct conflict with that governor.
- ↑A federal district court, in striking down the state's congressional redistricting plan, postponed the deadline for candidates qualifying by petition in lieu of paying the filing fee from June 22, 2022, to July 8, 2022. The court's order did not affect the July 22, 2022, deadline for candidates qualifying by paying the filing fee.
- ↑In Virginia, the Democratic and Republican parties form committees to decide on the method of nomination used for congressional races. These non-primary methods of nomination may take place on a date other than the statewide primary.
- ↑The National Association of Attorneys General, "Home," accessed March 26, 2013
- ↑Council of State Governments, "The Book of States 2012," accessed October 17, 2012
- ↑9.09.19.2Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2017 - Attorneys General: Prosecutorial and Advisory Duties," accessed December 3, 2017
- ↑In the Pennsylvania House, Democrats won 102 seats but would enter the legislative session with 99 members due to three vacancies: one due to the death of an incumbent and the others due to resignations to assume higher office. Vacancies are filled by special elections. According toCNalysis, all three vacant districts voted for President Joe Biden (D) by margins of more than 15 percentage points in 2020:
- House District 32: Biden +26
- House District 34: Biden +62
- House District 35: Biden +16
- ↑This total includes three seats created in Wyoming during the2020 redistricting process, which affects the net changes before and after the Nov. 8 elections.
- ↑Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑Ballotpedia chose to highlight these offices because they are typically the most visible positions in states and serve important administrative functions.
- ↑This is because it is very uncommon for an attorney general or secretary of state appointed by a governor to often be in direct conflict with that governor.
