Candidates for State Attorney General, 2010

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Legend

- Designates a candidate who is an incumbent office holder

As of September 15, 2010, there were 93 candidates running for attorney general across 30 states. The general election was held on November 2, 2010.

Here is a breakdown of the 93 candidates by party line:

28 Democrats
28 Republicans
37 independents

Democratic candidates[edit]

Montgomery attorney James Anderson^[1]
Connecticut Attorney General Beau Biden
Fargo attorney Jean Boechler^[2]
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley
Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray
Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler
Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett^[3]
Florida State Senator Dan Gelber^[4]
District Attorney of San Francisco Kamala D. Harris^[5]
Former head of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Scott Hassett^[6]
Former Dougherty County District Attorney Ken Hodges^[7]
Former state legislative and Democratic Party leader George C. Jepsen^[8]
Rhode Island State Representative Peter Kilmartin^[9]
New Mexico Attorney General Gary King
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton^[10]
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto
Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller
Jim Priest^[11]
Barbara Ann Radnofsky^[12]
Matthew Richardson^[13]
Former Assistant Attorney Felecia Rotellini^[14]
New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman^[15]
Kansas Attorney General Stephen Six
Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell
Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson
Ron Volesky^[16]

Republican candidates[edit]

Attorney General of Texas Greg Abbott
Attorney Chris Barden^[17]
Nevada attorney Travis Barrick
Assistant Florida State Attorney Pam Bondi^[18]
Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning
Ninth Judicial District Attorney Matthew Chandler^[19]
Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley^[20]
Attorney Martha Dean^[21]
Former United States Senator Richard Michael DeWine^[22]
Former Assistant Attorney General Ralph DeZago^[23]
Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan^[24]
Dexter attorney, Brenna Findley^[25]
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne^[26]
South Dakota Attorney General Marty J. Jackley
Stephen H. Kim^[27]
James P. McKenna^[28]
Cobb County Commission Chairman Samuel S. Olens^[29]
Former Oklahoma state senator Scott Pruitt^[30]
Kansas State Senator Derek Schmidt^[31]
Former judge Bill Schuette^[32]
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem
Luther Strange^[33]
Colorado Attorney General John W. Suthers
Aaron Michael Toscano
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen
Erik B. Wallin^[34]
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden
Former assistant attorney general Michael Alan Wilson^[35]

Former candidates[edit]

Democrats

Councilman Stephen R. Archambault^[36] (Lost Rhode Island primary election contest)
Florida State Senator Dave Aronberg^[37] (Lost Florida primary election contest)
Omaha attorney E.A. (Van) Argyrakis withdrew from the race and switched parties about a month after announcing his candidacy for Nebraska Attorney General running on the Democratic ticket.^[38]^[39]
Attorney Richard J. Bernstein^[40] (Failed to receive nomination at Michigan State Democratic Convention)
Assemblyman Richard Brodsky^[41] (Lost New York primary election contest)
Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, who in January 2009 initially announced that she would be entering the 2010 race for Governor of Connecticut, reversed course a year later and decided to run for attorney general instead.^[42]^[43] Four months later, however, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that she was ineligible to run for the statewide office and she withdrew her name from consideration.
Joe Canciamilla, a former California Assemblyman, explored the possibility in July 2008 of running for attorney general, but as of February 2010 he has since decided to seek a judgeship instead.^[44]
Attorney Sean Coffey^[45] (Lost New York primary election contest)
Former-Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo (Lost California primary election contest)
Former Superintendent of Insurance for New York State, Eric Dinallo^[46] (Lost New York primary election contest)
Joseph M. Fernandez^[47] (Lost Rhode Island primary election contest)
Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating exited the race in order to enter the Congressional race to replace retiring Rep. William Delahunt^[48]
Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly^[49] (Lost California primary election contest)
California Assemblyman Ted Lieu^[50] (Lost California primary election contest)
Arizona State Representative David M. Lujan^[51] (Lost Arizona primary election contest)
Leo F. Meyer (Lost Minnesota primary election contest)
California Assemblyman Pedro Nava, member of the California State Assembly^[52] (Lost California primary election contest)
Former Assistant United States Attorney General Michel Nicrosi (Lost Alabama primary election contest)
First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe, failing to raise sufficient funds to properly campaign for the state’s top prosecutor position, announced in March 2010 that he would not run for the office of state attorney general.^[53]^[54]
Birmingham attorney Giles Perkins^[55] (Lost Alabama primary runoff election contest)
Vince Rabago^[56] (Lost Arizona primary election contest)
Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen M. Rice^[57] (Lost New York primary election contest)
Mike Schmier, an Emeryville labor and employment lawyer (Lost California primary election contest)
Colorado State Democratic Party Vice Chairman Daniel B. Slater dropped out of the race about a month after he announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination, believing he did not have what takes to beat Suthers.^[58]^[59]
Connecticut State Representative Cameron Staples, who entered the state attorney general race in January 2010, withdrew four months later after assessing that he could not win if his candidacy forced a primary contest.^[60]^[61]
C. Samuel Sutter has chosen to run for re-election as Bristol County District Attorney rather then Massachusetts Attorney General.
Georgia State Representative Rob Teilhet (Lost Georgia primary election contest)
California Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico (Lost California primary election contest)
Michigan State Senator Gretchen Whitmer ended her campaign in order to spend more time with her family.^[62]

Republicans

Sharon Anderson (Lost Minnesota primary election contest)
Despite earning enough support at the state convention for the New York Republican Party to force a primary contest, Robert E. Antonacci, II chose to step aside for the sake of the party.^[63]^[64]
Former Florida State Health Secretary Holly Benson^[65] (Lost Florida primary election contest)
Michigan State Senator Michael D. Bishop^[66] (Failed to receive nomination at Michigan State Republican Convention)
Columbia prosecutor Robert Bolchoz^[67] (Lost South Carolina primary election contest)
Chapman Law School dean John Eastman^[68] (Lost California primary election contest)
Troy Eid, former United States Attorney General for the District of Colorado, had declared his intentions to run for the Republican nomination in the race to be Colorado Attorney General in January 2009, but is now considering a different office now that Suthers is back in the AG race.^[69]^[70]
Attorney Ross Garber^[71] (Lost Connecticut primary election contest)
Nevada attorney Jacob Hafter^[72] (Lost Nevada primary election contest)
California State Senator Tom Harman (Lost California primary election contest)
Georgia State Senator Judson Hill rescinded his candidacy in late-April 2009 in order to concentrate on re-election and his soon-to-be-important position as chairman of the Senate Reapportionment Committee.^[73]
Oklahoma State Senator Clark Jolley withdrew his name from consideration on March 19, 2010, noting that, in order to mount a successful statewide campaign, he "would have to neglect my duties as senator for my district and forsake my responsibilities as a member of the leadership of the Senate Majority Caucus," which he was not willing to do.^[74]^[75]
Alabama Attorney General Troy King ^Ψ (Lost Alabama primary election contest)
Lieutenant Governor of Florida Jeff Kottkamp^[76] (Lost Florida primary election contest)
Former Oklahoma legislative assistant Ryan Leonard^[77] (Lost Oklahoma primary election contest)
William Leighton Lord, III (Lost South Carolina primary runoff election contest)
Connecticut State Representative Arthur O'Neill (Failed to receive nomination at Connecticut State Republican Convention)
Michigan State Senator Bruce Patterson suspended his campaign on October 29, 2010.^[78]
Attorney and Republican activist John Pavia^[79] (Failed to receive nomination at Connecticut State Republican Convention)
State Senator Preston Smith^[80] (Lost Georgia primary runoff contest)
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas^[81] (Lost Arizona primary contest)
Max Wood^[82] (Lost Georgia primary contest)
Delaware County Prosecutor David Yost announced in late-January 2010 that he would abandon his bid for the Republican nomination for Ohio Attorney General and seek the nomination for state auditor instead.^[83]

Footnotes[edit]

[1] WTVY News 4 "James Anderson Joins Alabama Attorney General Race" 17 Jan. 2010

[2] Inforum, "Dems endorse Boechler for attorney general" 8 April, 2010

[3] Denver Business Journal, "Boulder County DA Garnett to challenge Suthers for Colorado AG" 7 April, 2010

[4] Miami New Times, "Dan Gelber Enters Attorney General Race" 8 June, 2009

[5] Johnny California, "California 2010 Election: Future President Kamala Harris Announces Run for Attorney General" 12 Nov. 2008

[6] Blogging Blue, "Van Hollen gets a challenger" 30 July, 2009

[7] SWGA Politics, "Ken Hodges Running for Attorney General" 22 April, 2009

[8] New Haven Independent, "Jepsen’s Running For AG" 6 Jan. 2010

[9] The Providence Journal, "Kilmartin enters race for Rhode Island attorney general" 24 Feb. 2010

[10] WJRT-TV "David Leyton to run for state attorney general's office" 26 Jan. 2010 (dead link)

[11] News9 "Democrat Jim Priest to Run for Attorney General" 18 Nov. 2009

[12] Texas Kaos, "Barbara Ann Radnofsky for Attorney General of Texas" 28 Oct. 2009

[13] The Politics of Jamie Anderson, "Matthew Richardson files for S.C. Attorney General spot" 31 March, 2010

[14] Phoenix New Times, "Felecia Rotellini First Candidate to Announce Officially for Attorney General Race" 27 Oct. 2009

[15] New York Post, "NY state Sen. Eric Schneiderman running for Attorney General" 12 April, 2010

[16] Madville Times, "Dems Nominate Ron Volesky for Attorney General" 26 June, 2010

[17] The Pioneer Press, "Chris Barden kicks off bid to unseat Lori Swanson" 28 April, 2010

[18] Tampa Tribune, "Hillsborough's Pam Bondi running for attorney general" 1 Dec. 2009

[19] Portales News-Tribune, "Matt Chandler running for state attorney general" 3 Feb. 2010 (dead link)

[20] Sacramento Bee, "Steve Cooley forms committee to explore AG run" 11 Jan. 2010

[21] Connecticut Post, "Avon Republican enters attorney general race" 4 March, 2010

[22] Springfield News-Sun, "DeWine launches bid for attorney general" 22 July, 2009

[23] Salina Journal, "Dezago to run for Kansas Attorney General in 2010" 10 July, 2009

[24] Capitol Confidential, "Meet Dan Donovan, a would-be sheriff of State Street" 17 May, 2010

[25] The Iowa Republican, "Brenna Findley Announces Attorney General Campaign" 8 Feb. 2010

[26] Arizona Central, "Tom Horne may run for Arizona attorney general" 7 Dec. 2008

[27] Chicago Young Republicans, "One of our own running for Illinois Attorney General" 10 Sept. 2009

[28] Red State, "MA Republicans: Write-in James McKenna for AG to run against Martha Coakley" 13 Sept. 2010

[29] Fresh Loaf, "WSB: Sam Olens to run for attorney general" 21 April, 2009

[30] Tulsa World, "Former state senator to seek attorney general post" 8 March, 2010

[31] WIBW "Schmidt Declares For AG's Office" 16 Sept. 2009

[32] Michigan Redneck, "Bill Schuette Launches Campaign to be Michigan’s Attorney General" 19 Sept. 2009

[33] Birmingham Business Journal, "Luther Strange announces run for attorney general" 13 May, 2009

[34] Providence Journal, "Former prosecutor files to run for R.I. attorney general" 4 Nov. 2009

[35] The Post and Courier, "Wilson runs for attorney general" 9 Sept. 2009

[36] Providence Journal, "Smithfield councilor plans run for attorney general" 28 May, 2009

[37] Miami New Times, ""Hot Bachelor" Dave Aronberg Officially Enters Attorney General Race" 4 June, 2009

[38] Journal Star, "Omaha attorney to run for Nebraska Attorney General" 15 Jan. 2010

[39] Leavenworth Street, "Whoops* (updated)" 17 Feb. 2010

[40] MLive, "Report: Attorney Richard Bernstein files to run for Michigan Attorney General" 4 Jan. 2010

[41] Yonkers Tribune, "Assemblyman Richard Brodsky Declares His Candidacy for New York Attorney General" 22 May, 2010

[42] The Middletown Press, "Bysiewicz to seek AG spot" 13 Jan. 2010

[43] The Middletown Press, "Bysiewicz announces intention to run for governor" 27 Jan. 2009

[44] Sacramento Bee, "Canciamilla explores attorney general run" 7 July, 2008

[45] Securities Docket, "Sean Coffey Retires from BLB&G to Run for NY AG" 15 Oct. 2009

[46] The Huffington Post, "Eric Dinallo Begins Campaign To Succeed Andrew Cuomo" 20 Aug. 2009

[47] Providence Journal, "He’s running for state attorney general — in 2010" 7 Jan. 2008

[48] Daily Kos, "Bill Keating will enter into the MA-10 race says Patriot Ledger" 5 March, 2010

[49] Tech Crunch, "Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly To Run For California Attorney General" 22 Dec. 2008

[50] 8 Asians, "California Assemblyman Ted Lieu Running for California Attorney General" 12 Feb. 2009

[51] Arizona Republic, "David Lujan announces run for attorney general" 1 Feb. 2010

[merc-52] Mercury News, "Assembly Democrats girding for a fight over Maldonado," February 4, 2010

[53] The Times and Democrat, "Pascoe joins attorney general's race" 17 Oct. 2009

[54] The Palmetto Scoop, "David Pascoe Stays Put as Solicitor" 7 March, 2010

[55] Alabama Live, "Birmingham attorney Giles Perkins says he's running for state attorney general" 21 Oct. 2009

[56] FOX 11 "Vince Rabago declares canidacy for Arizona Attorney General" 21 Jan. 2010 (dead link)

[57] PRNewser, "Former Paterson Strategist Joins Kathleen Rice's Run for New York AG" 17 Feb. 2010

[58] Wash Park Prophet, "Dan Slater In Colorado Attorney General Race 23 Sept. 2009

[59] Dan Slater for Attorney General, "Thanks for Your Support" 19 Oct. 2009

[60] Connecticut News, "Attorney General Race Getting Crowded: Rep. Cam Staples Joins The Party" 20 Jan. 2010

[61] Connecticut Mirror, "Staples out, but Bysiewicz faces appeal" 12 May, 2010

[62] Young & Conservative, "Gretchen Whitmer Drops out of Michigan Attorney General Race, Do Dems Still Have Faith in Michigan?" 28 Jan. 2010

[63] Capitol Confidential, "Antonacci launches, quietly, as Donovan bursts" 17 May, 2010

[64] Politico, "Donovan source: Antonacci says no primary" 2 June, 2010

[65] Miami Herald, "GOP adds Holly Benson to Florida attorney general race" 30 Oct. 2009

[66] Blogging for Michigan, "Mike Bishop Wants to be Your Next Attorney General!" 18 Feb. 2009

[67] Palmetto Scoop, "Bolchoz Makes 3 Running for AG" 27 Oct. 2009

[68] Legal Newsline, "Legal scholar says he's ideal to 'fix the mess' left by Jerry Brown" 20 Jan. 2010

[69] Colorado Independent, "Troy Eid to resign, run for Colorado attorney general" 7 Jan. 2009

[70] Denver Business Journal, "Colorado AG Suthers will seek re-election; Eid changes plans" 26 Jan. 2009

[71] The Hartford Courant, "Republican Ross Garber Is Running For Attorney General; Exit By Susan Bysiewicz, His Sister-in-Law, Opens Door" 19 May, 2010

[72] Las Vegas Review-Journal, "LV lawyer to run for attorney general" 9 Feb. 2010

[73] Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Judson Hill says he won’t join GOP race for attorney general" 28 April, 2009

[74] The McCarville Report Online, "Jolley, Priest Enter Attorney General Race" 18 Nov. 2009

[75] The Edmond Sun, "Jolley bows out of AG’s race" 19 March, 2010

[76] Miami Herald, "Florida Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp now a candidate for attorney general" 21 July, 2009

[77] McCarville Report, "Ryan Leonard Seeks GOP AG Nomination" 18 Feb. 2009

[78] MLive, "GOP state senator Bruce Patterson explores run for Michigan AG" 14 Jan. 2009

[79] Hartford Courant, "GOP's John Pavia Running For Attorney General; Worked With Ex-Democratic State Chairman John Droney" 26 Jan. 2010

[80] Rome News-Tribune, "Preston Smith to seek attorney general seat, could rock other races" 26 April, 2010

[81] Seeing Red Arizona, "Thomas makes it official: Leaving office April 6 to run for AG" 1 April, 2010

[82] Macon Telegraph, "Wood to run for Ga. attorney general" 4 Aug. 2009

[83] Cleveland Live, "Delaware County Prosecutor David Yost leaves Ohio attorney general race for auditor's race" 25 Jan. 2010

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