Eugene DePasquale (D), Dave Sunday (R) and four other candidates are running in the November 5 general election for Attorney General of Pennsylvania.

In the 2020 general election, Josh Shapiro (D) defeated Heather Heidelbaugh (R) 50.9% to 46.3%. Shapiro appointed Michelle Henry (D) attorney general after he was elected governor in 2022. Henry is not running for election in 2024.

Pennsylvania’s attorney general is the state’s chief law enforcement officer. The office’s duties include prosecuting organized crime and public corruption, collecting debts, taxes, and accounts due to the state, and representing Pennsylvania and its agencies in court.

DePasquale was Pennsylvania’s Auditor General from 2013 to 2021. Previously, he served in the state House and chaired the York County Democratic Party. He is running on his record and personal story. DePasquale said, “People know I’ve got the spine to take on big corporations, big insurance companies, and to run complex investigations. And that’s what I’ll do as your attorney general.”

DePasquale said his key accomplishments as auditor general included finding 3,000 untested rape kits and 50,000 unanswered phone calls at the child abuse hotline. As attorney general, he said his first priority would be protecting democracy and making sure every vote is counted as well as protecting “abortion rights, protecting consumers, protecting our environment and also making sure that we have public safety across the state.”

Sunday has been York County’s District Attorney since 2018. He previously served in the U.S. Navy and is running on his record as a prosecutor. On his campaign website, Sunday listed a 30% decrease in crime during his first term, and a 40% reduction in the prison population since its peak among his accomplishments as district attorney.

Sunday said his top priority is the opioid epidemic: “My philosophy of criminal justice is accountability and redemption. You have to have both. You must hold people accountable, but on the other side of it, we have to embrace redemption, and we have to do work that encompasses prevention as well.”

Justin Magill (Constitution Party), Eric Settle (Forward Party), Richard Weiss (G), and Rob Cowburn (L) are also running in the race for attorney general.

Pennsylvania has a divided government where neither party holds triplex control. Ballotpedia defines a triplex as when one political party holds the offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. Pennsylvania has a Democratic governor and attorney general and a Republican secretary of state. The attorney general’s office is the only one of the three offices up for election in 2024.

Pennsylvania has five statewide elections in 2024, including races for President, U.S. Senate, Attorney General, Auditor General, and Treasurer. In 2020, Pennsylvania had four statewide elections. That year, Joe Biden (D) defeated Donald Trump (R) 50% to 48.8% in the race for President, Timothy DeFoor (R) defeated Nina Ahmad (D) 49.4% to 46.3% in the race for Auditor General, Josh Shapiro (D) defeated Heather Heidelbaugh (R) 50.9% to 46.3% in the race for Attorney General, and Stacy Garrity (R) defeated Joseph Torsella (D) 48.7% to 47.9% in the race for Treasurer.

Ten states are holding attorney general elections in 2024. All 50 states have an attorney general who serves as the state’s chief legal officer. Heading into the 2024 elections, there are 22 Democratic, 27 Republican, and one independent attorney general. To read more about attorney general elections happening in 2024, click here.