Seven other Democratic candidates are challenging Republican incumbents and eight are vying for open seats.Ībortion-rights advocacy groups including NARAL, Planned Parenthood and EMILY’s List are highly attuned to these races and have mobilized - particularly after the release of the Supreme Court draft opinion - to endorse Democratic attorney general candidates, hold rallies with them, coach them on strategy and messaging, and urge their millions of members to donate to Democratic campaigns. Twelve of those incumbents are up for reelection, several of them in states like Michigan where Republicans have or likely will enact abortion bans. Heading into November, Democrats control 24 out of 51 attorney general seats - some of which are appointed rather than popularly elected. So guess where folks are coming when access is restricted.” “But we’re an oasis for reproductive health care surrounded by states with legislatures who want to undermine access to reproductive health care. “My opponents will say, ‘Why does he keep sticking his nose into other states’ business?’” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who is running for reelection, told POLITICO. This most recently happened with Texas’ privately enforced six-week abortion ban, when blue state attorneys general argued in an amicus brief that their health systems will likely be strained by a flood of Texas patients coming in for the procedure. That same month, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings sued to block the town of Seaford from requiring an abortion clinic to hold burials for fetal remains at patients’ expense.ĭemocratic attorneys general have also banded together to challenge federal policies and intervene in other states’ legal battles over abortion.
In January, California Attorney General Rob Bonta released a memo warning every district attorney, police chief and sheriff in the state not to use any state law “to punish people who suffer the loss of their pregnancy” - calling out the cases of two women who were charged with “fetal murder” in Kings County after experiencing stillbirths related to drug use, only one of whom has had the charges dismissed. Several Democratic attorneys general have signaled how they could use the powers of their office to protect reproductive rights in a post- Roe landscape. He did not respond to additional questions from POLITICO about how he would approach the issue as attorney general. “Who the hell do these Republicans think they are to make that decision for me?”ĭePerno, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has pledged to enforce the state’s abortion ban with no exemptions for rape, incest or medical threat to the mother. “It’s repugnant to me that we’re going back in time a century or more,” Nessel, who recently revealed she had an abortion when she was pregnant with triplets, told POLITICO. Gretchen Whitmer, is suing to strike down the state’s 1931 abortion ban, which would go back into effect if Roe falls, and has repeatedly gone after her opponent, Republican Matt DePerno, for promising to enforce that law that prohibits abortions even in cases of rape, incest or medical peril to the mother. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel addresses the media during a news conference in Lansing, Mich. We are not only the one authority with the power to prosecute cases in all counties in the state, but we also have unique oversight authorities when it comes to licensing and regulation.” “The AG is an absolutely pivotal position. “It’s my role to ensure the health, safety and welfare of my constituents and I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize their lives,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is running for reelection in November. With the heightened possibility that abortion rights could, in a matter of weeks, be an issue left to the states, attorney general candidates across the country are reminding voters of the stakes. Throughout the Trump and Biden administrations, attorneys general have used immigration, voting rights and abortion to try and thwart the president’s agenda, stalling or blocking legislation and regulation at the state and federal level. The candidates will not only decide how and whether abortion bans are enforced in the near-term if Roe is overturned, but also could be tomorrow’s crop of senators, governors and vice presidents who make the laws in a post- Roe country. While attorney general races tend to have lower voter turnout and spending than gubernatorial contests, especially in “off years” like 2022, the state’s chief law enforcement office has long been a springboard for ambitious politicians and an opportunity to gain national prominence.
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