These 8 Attorney-General Races Could Make A Big Difference To Trump's Agenda

[RandySF]

Here are the seven states3 where we think Democrats could realistically make gains:

Polling in Arizona had shown Republican incumbent Mark Brnovich pulling away from Democrat January Contreras, but the race got a shot in the arm when progressive billionaire Tom Steyer recently poured more than $3 million into attacks on Brnovich.
For the open seat in Colorado, Democrat Phil Weiser (the former dean of the University of Colorado Law School) has outraised Republican District Attorney George Brauchler (who prosecuted the Aurora theater shooter) by almost $2 million. But as of Oct. 15, the Republican AG association had bolstered Brauchler with around $3 million in outside spending, one of its biggest investments in any state.

In Florida, Democratic state Rep. Sean Shaw has promised to use the attorney general’s office to take on the Trump administration, while former judge and GOP candidate Ashley Moody is running a law-and-order campaign backed by at least 57 of Florida’s 66 sheriffs. Polling is tight, so, as with the Senate and governor races in Florida, we’re unsure which way it will go.
With his connections as speaker of the state House, Tom Leonard is probably Michigan Republicans’ strongest statewide candidate. But it just might not be their year: Polls give Democrat Dana Nessel, an LGBT-rights lawyer whose campaign video went viral as the #MeToo movement was gaining steam, a slight lead.
With his connections as speaker of the state House, Tom Leonard is probably Michigan Republicans’ strongest statewide candidate. But it just might not be their year: Polls give Democrat Dana Nessel, an LGBT-rights lawyer whose campaign video went viral as the #MeToo movement was gaining steam, a slight lead.

Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt is running for governor, and he’s anointed his Republican deputy, Wes Duncan, to succeed him. As state Senate majority leader, Democratic candidate Aaron Ford is the highest-ranking Democrat in Nevada, but his campaign has been hurt by revelations that he was arrested four times in the 1990s. Polls show lots of undecided voters, so this is another race that could follow the top of the ticket.

Ohio pits two all-star candidates against each other: Democrats have Steve Dettelbach, a former U.S. attorney with a sterling prosecutorial record, while Republicans have Dave Yost, who has already won two statewide elections for state auditor. Both candidates tout their record fighting corruption, but Dettelbach may have more credibility on the issue, given how the Ohio GOP has had to contend with two prominent local scandals. With almost $5 million in the bank at the end of September, he also has the financial edge over Yost, but polls indicate that this is still anyone’s race.

Wisconsin may be Democrats’ best chance to oust an incumbent attorney general. Republican Brad Schimel has earned the ire of some Democrats over some possibly questionable public spending choices and a backlog of untested rape kits. The Democratic AG association planned to devote $2 million to the race, while the Republican group allocated $2.5 million. The Democratic candidate — Josh Kaul, a former federal prosecutor and the son of Wisconsin’s last Democratic attorney general — trails Schimel by only 4 points in the latest Marquette University poll.

But it’s not just Democrats who could make gains. Republicans have one big pickup opportunity, too: the open seat in Minnesota. With his strong following among progressive Democrats, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison started the race as the favorite. However, in August, Ellison’s former romantic partner accused him of physically and emotionally abusing her. The race is now neck and neck. Republican Doug Wardlow has picked up steam by promising not to mix politics with his work as AG, but the longtime conservative activist has already thrown that claim into question.




https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/these-8-attorney-general-races-could-make-a-big-difference-to-trumps-agenda/?ex_cid=538twitter

[Cha]

1. YES THEY CAN!!

[Hortensis]

2. I've read there's a huge battle for AG offices across the nation.

Makes sense in light of the giant power struggle for control of the courts and legal system.

Less known is the battle for secretary of state offices. The SoS is often a state's chief election official, like scumbag Brian Kemp here in Georgia. Here are some typical authorities:

Administering elections
Appointing boards and commissions
Regulating businesses in the state
Leading selected social programs
Enforcing the financial disclosures of political committees
Taking a state census

According to Governing.com:

Democrats Maintain the Edge in Secretary of State Races: Since June, six races have shifted in the party's favor.

The battle to control the nation's secretary of state offices is nearing its climax, and the Democrats -- already presented with a more favorable playing field in open seats -- have incrementally improved their position in recent months.

Since our last round of handicapping in June, we have shifted our ratings in seven races -- six in the Democrats' direction and one in the Republicans'. To prevent Democratic gains, the Republicans will have to ride grassroots enthusiasm, such as what emerged over Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court.

Currently, Republicans hold 29 secretary of state offices to the Democrats' 17. Our tally doesn't count Pennsylvania's nonpartisan office or the three states that lack the position altogether -- Alaska, Hawaii and Utah. Of the 35 states where voters elect the secretary of state, 27 have contests this fall, including a special election in Louisiana, which we are rating here for the first time....

http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-2018-secretary-state-races-elections.html