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Attorney General

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The Attorney 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."

Political parties

The chart below is a breakdown of the political parties pertaining to the state executive office of attorney general. For other state executive offices, click here.

Office Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Republican Party Republican Independent Independent Nonpartisan Total seats
Attorney General 21 22 0 7 50

(Updated Prior to 2011 General elections)

Elected or 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 6.

The attorney general is appointed by the governor in four states: Alaska, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Wyoming.

In Maine and New Hampshire, the officeholder is chosen by the state legislature, while in Tennessee the choice falls to the state supreme court.

2011 elections

Main article: Attorney General elections, 2011

Three state attorney general elections are scheduled for November 8, 2011. All three of the seats up for election are held by Democrats.

2010 elections

Main article: Attorney General elections, 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 6 by Republicans over their pre-election total.

Partisan breakdown of State Attorneys General
Party Before November 2010 election After November 2010 election
With 2010 elections Unelected AGs Total AGs Post 2010 elections Unelected AGs Total AGs Gain/loss legislators
Democratic
20 12 32 14 12 26 -6
Republican
10 8 18 16 8 24 +6

Officeholders

Political positionOfficerAssumed officePolitical Party
Attorney General of South Carolina
Michael Alan Wilson
2011
Republican
Attorney General of Delaware
Joseph R. "Beau" Biden, III
2011
Democratic
Attorney General of Michigan
William Duncan "Bill" Schuette
2010
Republican
Attorney General of Vermont
William H. Sorrell
1997
Democratic
Attorney General of Louisiana
Buddy Caldwell
2007
Republican
Nevada Attorney General
Catherine Cortez Masto
2006
Democratic
Missouri Attorney General
Chris Koster
2008
Democratic
Attorney General of West Virginia
Darrell V. McGraw, Jr.
1993
Democratic
Attorney General of Hawaii
David M. Louie
2010
Democratic
Attorney General of Kansas
Derek Schmidt
2010
Republican
Attorney General of Maryland
Douglas F. Gansler
2006
Democratic
Attorney General of Arkansas
Dustin McDaniel
2011
Democratic
New York Attorney General
Eric Schneiderman
2010
Democratic
New Mexico Attorney General
Gary King
2006
Democratic
Attorney General of Connecticut
George C. Jepsen
2011
Democratic
Attorney General of Texas
Greg Abbott
2002
Republican
Attorney General of Indiana
Greg Zoeller
2008
Republican
Attorney General of Wyoming
Gregory Phillips
2011
Non-partisan
Attorney General of Wisconsin
J.B. Van Hollen
2007
Republican
Attorney General of Kentucky
Jack Conway
2007
Democratic
Attorney General of New Jersey
Jeff Chiesa
2012
Attorney General of Mississippi
Jim Hood
2003
Democratic
Oregon Attorney General
John Kroger
2008
Democratic
Attorney General of Colorado
John W. Suthers
2005
Republican
Nebraska Attorney General
Jon Bruning
2002
Republican
Attorney General of California
Kamala D. Harris
2011
Democratic
Attorney General of Virginia
Ken Cuccinelli
2010
Republican
Attorney General of Idaho
Lawrence Wasden
2003
Republican
Pennsylvania Attorney General
Linda L. Kelly
2011
Republican
Attorney General of Illinois
Lisa Madigan
2003
Democratic
Attorney General of Minnesota
Lori Swanson
2007
Democratic
Attorney General of Alabama
Luther J. Strange, III
2011
Republican
Attorney General of Utah
Mark Shurtleff
2001
Republican
Attorney General of Massachusetts
Martha Coakley
2007
Democratic
Attorney General of South Dakota
Marty J. Jackley
2009
Republican
New Hampshire Attorney General
Michael Delaney
2009
Democratic
Attorney General of Alaska
Michael Geraghty
2012
Ohio Attorney General
Richard Michael DeWine
2011
Republican
Attorney General of Florida
Pam Bondi
2011
Republican
Attorney General of Rhode Island
Peter Kilmartin
2011
Democratic
Attorney General of Washington
Rob McKenna
2005
Republican
Attorney General of Tennessee
Robert E. Cooper, Jr.
2006
Democratic
North Carolina Attorney General
Roy Cooper
2000
Democratic
Attorney General of Georgia
Samuel S. Olens
2011
Republican
Oklahoma Attorney General
Scott Pruitt
2010
Republican
Montana Attorney General
Steve Bullock
2008
Democratic
Attorney General of Arizona
Thomas C. Horne
2011
Republican
Attorney General of Iowa
Thomas John Miller
1979
Democratic
North Dakota Attorney General
Wayne Stenehjem
2001
Republican
Attorney General of Maine
William Schneider
2010
Republican


See also

External links

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