In the last two years, attorneys general in some states have garnered notoriety for their handling of police misconduct cases and other notable prosecutions, but many of them are up for re-election this year.
Here are the most notable races for attorney general we're tracking this year.
In Arizona, Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, is term-limited, leaving this seat open this cycle. GOP nominee Abe Hamadeh is a former prosecutor in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office who has been endorsed by Trump and has questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election. He faces Democrat Kris Mayes, who served for many years as a Republican on the Arizona Corporation Commission.
For the full breakdown of the 2022 midterms, check out our Elections Book.
In Kansas, Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt is running for governor, leaving an open seat. Republican Kris Kobach, the former secretary of state, is his party’s nominee. He’s long been a controversial figure in his own party, a hard-liner on immigration and voting laws who was the de-facto chair of Trump’s Election Integrity Commission. He lost his 2018 bid for governor, as well as a 2020 primary bid for Senate.
He faces Democratic prosecutor and former police officer Chris Mann.
In Michigan, Republican nominee Matthew DePerno has been endorsed by Trump to take on Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel. DePerno has cast doubt on the results of the 2020 presidential election and at one point, Nessel appointed a special prosecutor to look into whether DePerno and others handled voter materials improperly during a voter fraud investigation. Abortion rights have been important in this race both because of the fight over the laws in the state but also because of the ballot referendum on the issue.
In Minnesota, Democrat Keith Ellison is running for re-election and faces Republican nominee and lawyer Jim Schultz. Schultz has little political experience, but beat out a more right-wing candidate in the GOP primary. The Republican nominee has attacked Ellison, a prominent progressive, by arguing his policies on crime are too liberal, while Ellison has defended his record on the issue and accused Schultz of opposing abortion rights. The 2020 killing of George Floyd, the prosecution of former police officer Derek Chauvin, and the protests related to Floyd’s death loom large in this race.
In Nevada, Democrat Aaron Ford is running for re-election, but he won narrowly in 2018 and faces tougher headwinds this year. Attorney Sigal Chattah is the GOP nominee facing Ford. She drew notice for suing the state over Covid restrictions during the height of the pandemic. A group of Republican officials, including former state Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson and former GOP Chairwoman Amy Tarkanian has endorsed Ford over Chattah.
In Texas, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking another term and faces Democratic attorney Rochelle Garza. Paxton made waves in 2020 when he filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the presidential election results in some states. He has also been facing charges for securities fraud since 2015 and the case has not yet gone to court, which was a key issue in his GOP rivals’ unsuccessful bids against him in the primary.
Paxton has hit the issues of crime and immigration hard, while Democrats have accused Paxton of corruption and criticized him over the state’s new abortion restrictions.
