Voters in Pennsylvania will soon choose the nominees for the upcoming attorney general election. Five Democrats and two Republicans face off in a primary election on April 23, and Pennsylvania’s attorney general will be decided in the general election on November 5.
Pennsylvania has a closed primary system, meaning that only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote for their party’s nominees. Only voters who are registered Republicans or Democrats can participate in the primary election under this system.
According to attorneygeneral.gov, “The Attorney General is the state’s top law enforcement official, with a wide range of responsibilities to protect and serve the citizens and agencies of the Commonwealth.” The office is divided into four divisions: Criminal Law, Public Protection, Civil, and Operations. The office is comprised of several hundred prosecutors, attorneys, investigators, and support staff.
Democratic candidates
Jared Solomon
Solomon, hailing from Northeast Philadelphia, currently serves as a state representative for the 202nd district. He attended Swarthmore College and obtained his law degree from Villanova, later joining the Pennsylvania National Guard as a Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) officer.
According to his campaign website, Solomon is in favor of gun reform legislation, including red flag laws, an assault weapons ban, and expanding background checks. He also favors protecting access to abortion in Pennsylvania. His campaign also highlights his efforts to reduce crime through “simple solutions.”
Solomon is endorsed by several unions, including firefighters’ unions in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown, as well as United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) 1776.
Eugene DePasquale
A native of Pittsburgh, DePasquale has previously served as state auditor general, as well as a state representative from the 95th district. According to Spotlight PA, a nonpartisan news outlet, he attended Wooster College and the University of Pittsburgh, earning his Juris Doctor from Widener University. He also currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
A key point of his campaign is his firm stance on protecting abortion access. His campaign website states “Roe v. Wade’s reversal was a dark day for women and liberty in America. As Attorney General, I will stand up to any extreme forces that try to tell people what to do with their own bodies.” He is also campaigning strongly on prosecuting hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people and on fighting book bans.
He is endorsed by labor unions such as Ironworkers Local 3, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 520, as well as the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, and Philly Neighborhood Networks.
Keir Bradford-Grey
Bradford-Grey is originally from Boston, and attended Albany State University, earning her law degree from Ohio Northern University.
According to Spotlight PA, she became chief defender of Montgomery County in 2012 and eventually became the chief public defender of Philadelphia. In this role, she helped connect people who were arrested to social services. She is currently a partner at Montgomery McCracken Walker and Rhoads, where she focuses on white-collar and government investigations, as well as criminal defense.
Her campaign website brands her as “Someone who will make it a priority to restore the sense of security and safety to everyday working people.” Her top issues are protecting abortion access and holding gun manufacturers accountable if they break the law. She supports gun manufacturers adopting “microstamping,” a technology that supporters believe would help solve more shootings.
Bradford-Grey is endorsed by the Working Families Party and Teamsters Local 623.
Jack Stollsteimer
A resident of Havertown, Pa., Stollsteimer attended Thomas Edison State University and earned his law degree from Temple University.
According to his campaign website, he was appointed an assistant Delaware County district attorney in 2000. He later joined the U.S. Department of Justice as an assistant U.S. attorney, and in 2019 was elected the first ever Democratic district attorney of Delaware County.
One of Stollsteimer’s major campaign points is his accomplishments as Delaware County DA. The website cites a 70% reduction in gun homicides in the city of Chester since 2020, as well as a 30% reduction in the county’s prison population. Stollsteimer also litigated against opioid manufacturers, which resulted in the county receiving millions of dollars for treatment programs.
According to Spotlight PA, he is endorsed by the Teamsters Joint Council 53 and the Pennsylvania Building Trades Council.
Joe Khan
Khan grew up in Philadelphia, attending Swarthmore College and earning his law degree from the University of Chicago.
According to Spotlight PA, he served as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, as well as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He was later appointed Bucks County solicitor, where he served for three years. He is currently a partner at Curtin and Heefner, where he works as a trial and appellate attorney.
Khan’s primary campaign promise is to take on political and corporate corruption. His campaign website cites examples of his bringing litigation against the mayors of Allentown and Reading, and former President Donald Trump. He has also challenged companies such as 3M and DuPont over charges of water pollution. He also states that he will protect abortion access and establish the state’s first Housing Justice Unit if elected.
He is endorsed by Democratic members of the state legislature, as well as American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 1739.
Republican candidates
Dave Sunday
Sunday was raised in Cumberland County, and joined the US Navy after high school. According to his campaign website, he deployed to the Persian Gulf, participating in Operation Desert Strike. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Penn State and his law degree from Widener.
According to Spotlight PA, Sunday served as a clerk for Common Pleas Judge Joseph C. Adams, then moved to the York County district attorney’s office, where he was the chief deputy prosecutor of litigation. In 2017, he was elected district attorney of York County.
Sunday is primarily running on public safety and fighting the opioid epidemic; his website cites his co-founding of the York County Heroin Task Force, as well as the types of cases he has successfully prosecuted which include murder, armed robbery, felony narcotics delivery, insurance fraud, and elder fraud.
He has said he does not believe the state constitution guarantees the right to an abortion, and the issue should be up to the legislature.
He is endorsed by the Pennsylvania Republican Party, York Fraternal Order of Police No. 73, Treasurer Stacy Garrity, and US Rep. Lloyd Smucker.
Craig Williams
Williams attended Duke University, the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and Columbia Law School.
He also has a military background; according to his office’s website, he retired from the Marine Corps as a Colonel after 28 years of service. Williams flew 56 combat missions during the Gulf War, and attended law school while in the Marines. According to Spotlight PA, he served as chief prosecutor at Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps base in California. He currently serves in the PA House of Representatives for the 160th District.
Like Sunday, Williams is campaigning on public safety. He wants the attorney general to have concurrent jurisdiction in gun crime cases, which means the state could overrule local district attorneys and bring charges if they have chosen not to.
His campaign website touts his track record in the legislature on the issue, naming his passage of a bill that created a gun violence task force, as well as a bill to combat human trafficking as accomplishments. In the House, Williams has occasionally voted with Democrats, including on a bill expanding background checks for firearm purchases. However, he has also voted against other firearm-related bills, including one pertaining to red flag laws, which allow a judge to take away an individual’s guns if they are deemed a threat by family or law enforcement.
He is endorsed by Republican lawmakers in the state House, including Minority Leader Bryan Cutler.
